MIAMI - Heat players feel as if they have faced elimination all season and averted it every time.
The team expects to do it again tonight. The Heat trails 3-2 in its best-of-seven East semifinal series against the Pacers. Game 6 is in Miami, where the Heat has won 18 straight games.
Rookie Dwyane Wade and Malik Allen guaranteed the series would return to Indiana for a deciding game. Why such a promise?
"This is where we've been all year, with a lot of people doubting us," Wade said. "We believe we can win."
Especially at home, where the Heat is more efficient on offense, more stifling on defense and plays with more intensity. The result has been one of the league's best homecourt advantages. The Heat has not lost at AmericanAirlines Arena since March 2.
"Everyone wants to go down and win there," Pacers forward Al Harrington said. "I think it would be a nice place to end it, stop their streak down there. That's the type of team we are: We like to ruin stuff for people, so that's what we like to gun for."
Miami lost its first seven games, prompting many to question Pat Riley's decision to hand coaching duties over to Stan Van Gundy. Miami improved to 25-36 in March but still was figured a long shot to make the postseason.
Then Wade got healthy, Lamar Odom proved he could be a complete player and the Heat staged a late surge to earn the fourth seed in the East. The team that lost 57 games a year ago went 17-4 down the stretch to return to the postseason for the first time in three years.
The Heat also faced elimination in the opening round against New Orleans after the Hornets forced a Game 7 in Miami.
"This group has nothing to lose and everything to gain," Odom said. "It's a great position to be in. Even though we're down, we're at home and we have our fans behind us. We've been in this position all year. ... It's just one test after another. Hopefully, we can pass this test, too."
KINGS: Anthony Peeler was suspended two games without pay for elbowing Minnesota's Kevin Garnett. The guard will miss Game 7 Wednesday of the West semifinals. Peeler hit Garnett in the midsection with 31.2 seconds left in the third quarter Sunday, then elbowed the league MVP in the head with 13.5 seconds to go in the quarter and was ejected. Garnett was fined $7,500 for hitting Peeler in the chest with an elbow.
FIRST FOR WOMEN: Ashley McElhiney, 22, was introduced as coach of the expansion Nashville Rhythm of the ABA, becoming the first female coach of a professional men's basketball team. A former standout guard for Vanderbilt, McElhiney was taken by Indiana in the third round of last year's WNBA draft but was released before playing a game.
