The Indiana Pacers are going to the Eastern Conference finals after all. After having endured an up-and-down ride in the 2014 Playoffs, the Pacers find themselves as +310 underdogs in a series against a team playing much better than they have been: the Miami Heat.
The Western Conference Finals, meanwhile, feature two more menacing teams: the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs (read our Western Conference Final preview here).
Which teams will compete for the 2014 NBA title? Read on for more on this series and then sign up for a betting account to do some winning of your own on the team or teams you think these powerhouse series’ will produce.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Five Keys to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 18, 3:30 PM ET Miami (-2.5) at Indiana (+2.5); total 181.5 – view all NBA lines
Game 2 – May 20, 8:30 PM ET, Miami at Indiana
Game 3 – May 24, 8:30 PM ET, Indiana at Miami
Game 4 – May 26, 8:30 PM ET, Indiana at Miami
Game 5 (if necessary) – May 28, 8:30 PM ET, Miami at Indiana
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 30, 8:30 PM ET, Indiana at Miami
Game 7 (if necessary) – June 1, 8:30 PM ET, Miami at Indiana
1. LeBron James
LeBron James will always be the center of all things Heat. James has been a phenomenal force on the floor that neither the Charlotte Bobcats or Brooklyn Nets could stop. He is the Heat’s leader in the postseason in points (30 PPG), rebounds (7.1 RPG), and assists (4.7 PPG). He’s also the team’s best defender, and will be able to shut down Paul George when called upon.
[sc:NBA240banner ]In Game 5 against the Nets, James followed up his 49-point explosion in Game 4 with a 29-point performance. Near the end of the game, he put on the clamps on Brooklyn guard Joe Johnson twice, thus sealing the Heat’s victory.
The Big Three are important, but the Big One is still the defining force on this team.
2. Roy Hibbert
Roy Hibbert is supposed to be the best weapon of the Pacers against the Heat, who are lacking a legitimate big man to put a body against the 7-2 behemoth. His inconsistency over the past two months, then, has been on the minds of Pacers fans everywhere. Hibbert’s scoring in the second half of the regular season dropped to 8.9 PPG after putting up 11.8 PPG in the first half. Even his rebounding dipped from 7.7 RPG to 4.7 RPG.
His regression continued into the first round of the Playoffs against the no. 8 seeds, Atlanta Hawks. In that series, he was heavily lambasted for averaging an abysmal 5.3 PPG and 3.7 RPG. However, he seemed to have found his groove back in the second round against the Wizards. Excluding Game 1 of that series (zero points and zero rebounds), the All-Star center put up 14.8 PPG and 6.4 RPG.
3. Paul George
With Hibbert struggling for most of the postseason, Paul George was forced to carry extra scoring and rebounding loads for the Pacers. Like Miami’s James, George is Indiana’s best scorer and rebounder in these Playoffs, with averages of 21.9 PPG and 8.7 RPG. Given Hibbert’s susceptibility to having a bad game, George has had to deliver for Indiana more than ever before to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
In four games against the Heat this season, George was a do-it-all machine, averaging 21.8 PPG on 42.3% from the field, while pulling down six boards and dishing out 4.8 APG.
4. Miami’s Interiors Defense
With the Pacers having the clear edge in the frontcourt in this series, Miami’s ability to defend the painted area will be ruthlessly challenged by the likes of Hibbert and David West as the Heat doesn’t have a genuine center patrolling the middle. However, the stats suggest that Miami will do just fine even without a player to match against Hibbert, size-for-size. According to stats.nba.com, Miami is the best team in these Playoffs in defense around the rim. The Heat are no. 1 in limiting opponents from scoring within the restricted area, allowing foes to shoot just 52.7% from the region.
5. Indiana’s Offense
Indiana’s plummet in the power rankings has a lot to do about their decrepit offense. The Pacers are third worst in the postseason in scoring, only managing a paltry 91.4 PPG. Hopefully for Indiana, Hibbert’s encouraging performance in the second round continues. If Hibbert can impose himself inside the paint, which would cause Miami’s defense to collapse on him, then then it could lead to more opportunities for shooters like George Hill (36.5% 3FG) and Danny Granger (33% 3FG).
Writer’s Prediction – Game 1 and Series
The Heat have been playing like a championship team for some time, while the Pacers are still trying to recover their identity. Take the Miami Heat to win Game 1, covering -2.5 against a Pacers team that has been awful in Game 1s in these playoffs.
In the end, the Pacers will push back and challenge the Heat more than any other team has thus far, but it will ultimately be up to the Spurs or Thunder to break up LeBron’s Threepeat, as the Pacers will fall in seven. Take them on the series money line at -380.
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