Wade scores 41 as Heat eliminates Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS -- There was nothing soft about Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

Wade scored 41 points and LeBron James added 28 as the Heat finished off the Indiana Pacers last night, locking up a return trip to the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-93 victory in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series.

The Heat will face either Boston or Philadelphia in the next round starting in Miami on Monday.

Of course, nothing less than an NBA title will make for a satisfying summer in South Beach.

Two series down, two to go.

Miami won three straight games after falling behind 2-1 in the series. In those three games, Wade averaged 33.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists and James averaged 32.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists.

"Ever since Game 3, they've played at such a high level," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "I don't know if anybody can beat them."

The Heat won the series despite losing Chris Bosh to an abdominal injury in Game 1. "Chris Bosh is an awesome basketball player, but when he goes down, that just means more touches for LeBron and Wade," Vogel said. "That's not exactly an advantage [for the opponent]."

The Heat rallied from an early 11-point deficit. Wade scored 26 points by the break, tying Tim Hardaway's 16-year-old franchise record for most playoff points in the first two quarters. David West led the Pacers with 24 points. -- AP