With just under 14 seconds left in the third quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, Indiana All-Star Paul George isolated up top against Heat star LeBron James. He then promptly left the reigning MVP in the dust with a slick hesitation and quick left-hand dribble, gained the paint, gathered, rose and viciously clipped the wings of "The Birdman," Chris Andersen:

Just one problem, Paul: You left a little too much time on the clock before the end of the quarter.

Early in the second quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, Indy reserve Sam Young was called for a foul while guarding Heat star LeBron James. Young wasn't thrilled about the ticky-tack foul; the swingman swung his arm down in frustration and connected with the ball after the whistle. James was holding the basketball, and he didn't appreciate the swinging. The two briefly had words, and the referees assessed Young a technical foul.

Well, Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw didn't much care for that call, and he let the officials know it while Ray Allen strode to the line to shoot the technical free throw. As Allen made the shot, Shaw was assessed a technical foul of his own, putting Allen back at the stripe — but this time, the vaunted sharpshooter missed. And when that happened, Shaw knew just what to say:

You know, I've always liked that Brian Shaw.

George Hill and Lance Stephenson have to step up in Game 2. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBA/Getty Images)

While the Miami Heat might not have played their best game yet in these 2013 playoffs, the Indiana Pacers know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they didn't play their best game in Wednesday's Eastern Conference finals opener, either — and they still came up just one remarkable play by LeBron James (and one arguably unwise decision by Pacers coach Frank Vogel) from scoring an upset overtime win that stripped home-court advantage away from the No. 1 overall seed. They were right there, and they think — they know — they can get there again.

Still, they've got some stuff to clean up in Friday night's Game 2 if they want to close the deal and send the series back to Indiana tied up with a chance to take a commanding lead at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are three areas where the Pacers must improve to come away with a win:

1. Slow the march to the front of the rim. In our series preview, I noted that the Pacers had done an excellent job during the regular season of keeping the Heat from feasting on shots from their favorite, and the most valuable, spots on the floor — the restricted area (the semicircle directly in front of the basket) and the 3-point arc, especially the shorter corners.

That's the centerpiece of the philosophy that made the Pacers the league's best defensive team this year — play tight D outside, don't give shooters space to rise and fire, stay true to your one-on-one assignments and close out like demons when you have to step away, offer help without over-helping and force drivers/pick-and-roll ball-handlers to have to pull up from midrange rather than meet 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert at the basket. It figured to be a critical element in the Pacers' attempt to overcome the Heat, and Indiana didn't do the best possible job of it in Game 1.

Following the San Antonio Spurs' Game 2 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, our own Eric Freeman wondered whether Grizzlies guard Tony Allen — renowned throughout the league as one of the toughest, most physical, hardest-nosed players in the game — faked the severity of any injury he might have sustained when fouled on a layup attempt in the final minute of regulation by Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. In case you've forgotten what went down, watch it again:

After coughing up the ball for an Allen runout, Ginobili raced back, grabbed Allen's left forearm and pulled him down to the ground. It was a hard fall, but Allen appeared to get both of his hands down in front of him to break it; after impact, though, he grabbed his head with both hands and began writhing along the baseline in apparent pain. The referees on the scene called a flagrant foul, headed over to the replay monitor to review the incident and, despite widespread perception that Allen had embellished things, upheld the call, granting Allen two free throws (which he made) and the Grizzlies another offensive possession (with which they tied the game and forced overtime).

While the officials on the scene apparently saw nothing untoward in Allen's behavior, after a couple of days to review the play, the league office begged to differ. The NBA announced Friday afternoon that Allen has been fined $5,000 for violating the league's anti-flopping policy with his embellishment on the play.

"I don't know if you could say I won the jump ball. But I didn't lose the jump ball." — San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, who is the best, to Deadspin's Alan Siegel in a "brief oral history" of his hilarious jump ball vs. Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph early in the fourth quarter of the Spurs' Game 2 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Do yourself the service of heading over to Deadspin for the rest. You deserve it. And whether or not Bonner considers himself the "winner" of the jump ball, I think it's fair to say that, every time we watch it, we all win.

Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Paul George earns LeBron James' respect as Pacers tie series
• Tim Duncan reportedly delaying divorce proceedings until after end of Spurs’ season
• Memphis guard Tony Allen fined $5K under flopping guidelines

No, for real — that headline is true. Check out this game story (and accompanying photo) from the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Seattle Supersonics on Jan. 25, 1972, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's third year in the league (click the image for a larger version):

The black-and-white proof. Click to embiggen. (The Milwaukee Journal via Uni Watch)

For those who don't feel quite like reading the fine newsprint, here's Milwaukee Journal scribe Bob Wolf's account:

As far as the visiting Seattle Supersonics were concerned, the only amusing thing about the basketball game at the Arena Tuesday night was that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore his trunks backwards.

Aside from that one little slipup, the Milwaukee Bucks were a fearsome lot as they dismembered one of the better teams in the National Basketball Association, 123-91. [...]

You're not going to believe this, but Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert thinks that Miami Heat forward Shane Battier planting a surging right knee square into his giblets on a first-quarter drive during Wednesday's Game 1 win wasn't an accident. The Pacers' primary shot-blocker and layup deterrent shared his opinion of the Duke product's deviousness with his Twitter followers on Thursday:

[Related: Miami Heat still getting better, which is scary]

U can knee or kick me every time u drive 2the rim. Ill be there 2protect the rim. That wasn't inadvertent. Battier knew what he was doing

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) May 23, 2013

Well, you won't always be there to protect the rim. But generally speaking, yes, we get what you're saying — "Come at me, bro."

So, what led Hibbert to speak out? The big man explained at Indiana's Friday morning practice:

Kevin Durant walks past tornado-damaged homes in Moore, Okla. (AP/Sue Ogrocki)

In the aftermath of the devastating tornado that tore through Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla., on Monday, Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant was one of the first high-profile celebrities to lend a major hand, donating $1 million to regional Red Cross relief efforts in the hope of not only providing immediate aid of his own, but also sparking an outpouring of charitable contributions from others. Durant's leadership spurred responses from the Thunder, which matched his $1 million donation; the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, which combined to do the same; and many other citizens, who had combined to kick in "about $7.5 million as a result of Mr. Durant's gift," according to Emmanuel Bailey, president of the board of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.

But, as we noted in Thursday's 10-man rotation, Durant's involvement didn't end with his own checkbook. He toured Moore on Wednesday afternoon, surveying the destruction, meeting with residents still sorting through the rubble of their homes, and doing what little he could — an autograph here, a picture there, a few moments of conversation shot through with apologies and kind words — to brighten the spirits of those affected. As Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman wrote, after speaking with one woman, Durant, "in that moment, turned and walked away as if he wanted to give $1 million more."

So on Thursday, by reaching out to one of his main endorsers, he did.

Reached out to my @nike fam to see if they could help Oklahoma.They're in. gonike.me/OKC

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 24, 2013