The NBA playoffs standings have gotten very interesting down the stretch of the season and now the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are tied atop the eastern conference with just a few weeks left to go in the season and they are both looking to get home court advantage as LeBron James pushes for his third straight NBA championship with his team.
Both the Pacers and the Heat have struggled over the past few weeks, but it has been Indiana that everyone is worried about, as they have slumped to 4-6 in their past 10 games and have lost three in a row and that has them in a tie with the Heat in the standings, while Miami has one game in hand. The Pacers had been atop the east all season and had a nice cushion over Miami, but that is now gone and after Roy Hibbert came out to slam selfish players, there has been a spotlight on the Pacers and the issues with Lance Stephenson, George Hill and Evan Turner after the trade of Danny Granger.
The Pacers looked to be improved after trading Granger and signing Andrew Bynum, but so far those moves have not translated into wins and the playoffs may be the biggest determination of how that goes. Miami has been the favorite in the east all season since they are the only proven winner over the past three years, but of course the media anointed the Pacers the best in the east early on and already started calling the Miami Heat dead this season. The media cried that the Heat could not handle Indiana's size and that if they lost home court, all hope would be lost for a championship run.
Now LeBron James and the Heat are right in the mix and if they end up with home court advantage in the playoffs, that could be a huge boost of momentum for the team as they make the playoffs. The Pacers could end up being hurt by falling into second place and losing home court and on top of that the mental issues after being there all season could come back to haunt them if they miss it. The team expected to be the best in the east and they have done that, but their slump is more worrisome than the Heat since Miami has done this before and winning two straight championships and going to three will tire out any team. Indiana has not done this before and they have to prove to everyone they have what it takes to beat Miami in the playoffs.
In the east the Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets have all clinched spots and now there are three left as the Wizards, Bobcats and Hawks hold over the Knicks and Cavaliers. Ion the west, the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and LA Clippers have clinched playoff spots and they are looking strong heading into the postseason.