We’re finally down to the NBA Conference Finals. All eyes are on Miami, Indiana, San Antonio and Memphis as those teams seek to make a run at the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. In the East, David West and the Pacers look to take basketball’s version of Goliath in LeBron James and his defending champion Miami Heat.
For the Pacers, it’s their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2004 when they lost to the eventual league champion Detroit Pistons. The Pacers arrival is a bit of a surprise. Crafty moves such as signing David West and acquiring George Hill via trade with the Spurs last season helped turn the Indiana squad into a formidable one. Still, many presumed they weren’t ready for the big time, especially Danny Granger’s injury which limited him to just a handful of games. However, Paul George stepped into Granger’s shoes and proved to be a star in his own right.
While the Heat are far and away favored to win the series, Indiana has a chance. The Pacers won the team’s regular season head-to-head matchup 2-1. Indiana’s roster provides ideal matchups to make a competitive series versus the Heat. They field a solid point guard in George Hill, an athletic and dynamic small forward in George, a stretch-forward in West to neutralize Chris Bosh and an old-school, shot-blocking, hook-making back-to-the-basket center in Roy Hibbert.
Whether that will be enough to stop James and the juggernaut Heat remains to be seen. After getting acclimated to the rough and rugged style of the Chicago Bulls, the Heat had little trouble dispatching their foes in the conference semifinals. Of course, in addition to Derrick Rose’s annoying and distracting injury situation, the Bulls played most of the series without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich, two essential contributors of the team’s success. Besides Granger, who’s basically been missing for the entire season, the Pacers seem to be a healthy bunch.
That means Dwayne Wade’s bum right knee might be the most important key for the series. In the midst of playoffs marred by star injuries, it’s clear that a hobbled or absent star can be the easiest way to earn a one way ticket home to watch the remainder of the playoffs on television like the rest of us. If Indiana is smart, they’ll borrow from the Bulls playbook and get chippy with the champs to make them feel every bump and bruise. The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t get it done without Russell Westbrook. Wade’s knee is just as important to the Heat. As long as DWade can play, Miami should be OK. Considering all the sidelined all-stars in this postseason though, that if is as big as the target on the back of the Heat jerseys.
