Roy Hibbert delivers reverse layup (GIF)

The Indiana Pacers are trying to extend their season on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat. As has been the case during the baffling story that is their 2013-2014 campaign, their success or failure in that regard will hinge largely on the play of enigmatic center Roy Hibbert.

Coming off another baffling game in which he scored zero points, Hibbert looked to get things going early on in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indiana. In so doing, he showed some sneaky athleticism as he stepped underneath the basket and finished a reverse layup.

Hibbert takes the term “wild card” to a whole new level. On any given night he can be dominant, taking over the game on the block. That type of presence in the post is hard for most teams to contest with, especially the Miami Heat. Hibbert is capable of giving you 20 points and 15 rebounds and leading an NBA team to victory.

The problem is, he is just as likely to put up an absolute stink bomb. Based on the events of this season, it is just as likely that Hibbert will barely resemble an NBA player, score zero points, and just generally make any interested party feel sad.

Entering game five, Hibbert was averaging 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. But as anybody who has watched can tell you, those numbers only tell part of the story.

Did the good version of Hibbert show up on Wednesday night? If he did, the Pacers might at least be able to make the Heat work harder to earn another trip to the NBA Finals.