Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers: Looking into the Eastern Conference Playoffs ... - bettor.com (blog)

Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers: Looking into the Eastern Conference Playoffs contenders â€" NBA Feature Part 2

2. Miami Heat

The second team in the Eastern Conference is the Miami Heat with a win loss record of 46-20.

The question still remains; do they have what it takes to achieve it all this season?  Is the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh finally going to be able to achieve what their star studded line up promises?

After being given a schooling lesson in last year`s NBA Finals, Heat did come out a more stronger, a more cohesive unit. It is not that they added more players to their lineup but the chemistry seems to have been taken to another level this year.

The off season workouts and the training sessions did prove that Miami have learnt from their mistakes and started of the season very well. Miami came out as a team this season with an intense mentality to run their opponents, and having two of the most dominating players in James and Wade did help their cause.

This year, LeBron has come out as the player everyone expects him to be and with him carrying the weight of the Miami offense throughout the season is mere proof of that.  Miami who were known as Wade`s team have turned into LeBron`s team and the results seem to showing of in a major way.

Many pundits wrote of the Heat in last year’s playoff and some might still write them off as they go up against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. However, Miami were not fazed at all last year and given the amount of time since then, the Heat have a far more farer chance this year.

However their team does have a loop hole because when the Big Three don’t show, it takes its toll on the team, ending the season with two losses without their stars does put a big question mark on the repertoire of the Heat squad.

Come playoff time, it will not be a test of the likes of James or Wade or even Chris Bosh who has not had much of an impact this year but it will be a test of the rest of the roster in which the likes of James Jones, Mario Chalmers, Joel Anthony, Shane Battier and Mike Miller will need to step their game up in a sizable way to help the Heat in their pursuit of the Championship.

3. Indiana Pacers

The team to watch out for in the Eastern Conference is on the number three spot who despite losing their season finale against the Chicago Bulls were the team to beat in the closing stages of the season. In the last 15 games of the regular season, the Pacers managed to win 12 which enabled them to lock their way into the number three seed.

Some critics will say they are just pretending their claim and will not go far in the off season. However the Pacers have every bit of capability to make a strong run in the playoffs. Their adamant claim to the Championship may still have many doubters but the Pacers will be looking to prove all the hype of them being a weaker team, entirely wrong. Indiana finished the season with a win loss record off 42-24 and their late charge in the season helped them get there.

The current Pacers roster has all the ingredients for a Championship in the making. Their dominance on the low post has been phenomenal throughout the season, 7 ft 2 inch, Roy Hibbert being their strongest weapon in that aspect. Hibbert has all the abilities of a true big man, He dominates the low post, he protects the paint very well and he cleans up the glass very thoroughly.

In the off season, Indiana added former New Orleans Hornets star, David West to their roster and what an addition he has been. The 6 ft 9 in forward has brought the much needed versatility to the inside out post game of the Pacers. West has averaged 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in the season and has been a key component of Indiana`s season so far.

Let us not forget their leading scorer of the season in Danny Granger who even though has not had a more dominating season but still can account for much of the share of the Pacers score in the game. With the likes of Paul George among the line up, they do present a very strong claim to the title as they are one of the more stable teams on both ends of the court.

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