The wait for the Miami Heat is finally over as their opponent has been set for the Eastern Conference Finals matchup. The Indiana Pacers did what many expected as they dispatched the New York Knicks in six games as they earned the right to play the Heat in the Conference Final.
The Heat come into this series having lost only the one game, which happened to be their series opener against the Chicago Bulls. As hard as the Bulls played that series, it was the heat who lost that game not the Bulls who won it. The concern here is that the heat may once again open the series a bit flat in so much as it will have been a week in between games for them.
The layoff shouldn’t really hurt the Heat too greatly as they have been in this situation before and their team is loaded with veterans and professionals who know how to stay ready. if anything the extra days of rest will have helped heal the aching body of Dwyane Wade.
For the Pacers they are getting a bit of a rest, but no where near that of the Heat. The way that the Pacers are playing right now the continuous action might actually be a benefit as the team is rolling right along. Head coach Frank Vogel has his guys playing their best defense of the year and has rejuvenated Roy Hibbert for this playoff run.
Many will remember that the Pacers and Heat squared off last season in the Conference title game; the Heat eventually won that series in six games to move onto the Championship. Last season the Heat lost Chris Bosh in game one and he didn’t return all series. This season it is the Pacers who must deal with the injuries as they have been without and will be without Danny Granger for the duration of the season.
For the Pacers to win this series they will need an absolutely astonishing effort out of Hibbert. The battle of the boards must be dominated by Hibbert and the Pacers for them to stand a chance. Fortunately for the Pacers, the Heat have been a notoriously poor rebounding squad so if there is an ear where the Pacers stand to have an advantage it is on the glass.
If the Pacers can play smothering defense for all four quarters and limit second-chance opportunities then they could potentially win a couple of games. Here in lies the problem for the Pacers though. They must guard the league’s MVP and freight train of small-forward in LeBron James. To guard James for 38 minutes a night over a five or six game series is extremely taxing and thus far nobody has been able to contain him like that.
For the Heat their key to success is Wade’s knee. James is going to get his 27 points, 7 apg and 7 rpg regardless of what a defense throws at him. Wade on the other hand can be the wildcard in this series. if his productivity is limited due to the knee injury then this series could be prolonged as the Heat need that consistent secondary scoring option.
If Wade is at all hobbled then the responsibility to step-up becomes that of Chris Bosh. bosh will be called upon to rebound and spread the key area on offense forcing Hibbert away from the basket. This is where the Knicks failed miserably is that Tyson Chandler wasn’t a threat to score with open elbow jumpers; so Hibbert was able to gravitate near the hoop and protect it from driving Knicks players.
Ultimately the Miami Heat have too many polished veterans who can knock down their shots and they have the game’s best player in LeBron who just won’t let his team lose. The Pacers pushed the Heat last year to a sixth game and that was with a healthy Granger and without Bosh. This go round they will be lucky to see a sixth game as Granger is out and Bosh is back in. My prediction is that the Heat advance in what will be a five-game series.