For most of the fourth quarter, LeBron James played like a superhero. Then, in the final minute, he handed the game to Indiana with a pair of turnovers.

The Miami Heat’s three-point shooters have been acting like a dormant volcano. They are bound to erupt, but when?

LeBron James sported a Nike T-shirt some 90 minutes before Friday night’s game that was plain white but for three small words stamped big and black in block-letters:

Indiana’s physical front line and strength offensively might just force Miami to rethink some of its strategies from last season.

Call it Groin Gate or whatever you wish.

Did you notice what LeBron James did as soon as it was over?

Ray Allen uses misses like the free throw in Game 1 to motivate him.

In the days leading up to the Eastern Conference finals, Heat big man Chris Andersen worked constantly on spacing the floor inside the paint to provide an extra option for driving teammates.

This was more like it. Ten games in, the playoffs felt like they started for real for the Heat here Wednesday night. Welcome back, tension and doubt. Good to see you again, major challenge. We missed you, edge of seat.

The Heat capitalized on the absence of Roy Hibbert as LeBron James scored on a layup at the buzzer to lift Miami.

Chris Bosh predicted his clashes with Indiana center Roy Hibbert, the prototypical 7-2 immovable object, would be pivotal to the fulfillment of the Miami Heat’s Eastern Conference championship aspirations.

The Pacers did a lot of things right, including outrebounding the Heat, but ultimately they had no answer for LeBron James in Game 1.

Dwyane Wade’s foul with 2.2 seconds left in overtime was his biggest miscue on a night he made timely plays and scored 19 points.

The ‘X factor’ in the series might be who wins the battle between Chris Bosh and Roy Hibbert. Bosh, who missed almost all of last year’s Pacers series, will be helped by Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier and Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen

What happened in the buildup to this Heat-Pacers Eastern Conference final is something you would find at the intersection of Funny and Sad.

Indianapolis will hold the Indy 500 and a Pacers playoff game on the same day for the first time, but excitement has been building since 1994.

The coach on the other sideline in a playoff series generally doesn’t get under the skin of the opposing team. But Pacers coach Frank Vogel has managed to do it two years in a row — once for reasons not of his doing.

Heat backup point guard Norris Cole’s job is to short-circuit the Pacers’ offense — and George Hill — especially in the fourth quarter.

With forward Danny Granger lost for the season, third-year forward Paul George has stepped up as the Pacers’ go-to player.