Over the past two seasons, the rivalry between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers has been must-see television. The two teams have continuously met in the Eastern Conference Finals, putting on a solid show each time. However, this season is different as the landscape of the two teams is much different than years past. As the Pacers struggle and two wins and the Heat have just two losses, will the rivalry still continue?
This matchup between the Eastern Conference will look much different than years past. LeBron James is no longer headlining the Heat roster. Paul George and Lance Stephenson are not on the court for the Pacers. To make matters worse, George Hill and Davis West could also be sidelined with various injuries. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Roy Hibbert now lead the rivalry that still has the chance to be exciting despite the injuries and roster changes.
Bosh continues to lead the Heat after signing his contract extension. The center put up 20 points and 10 boards against the Dallas Mavericks, but it was new addition Luol Deng that got the headline with 30 points. Mario Chalmers also had a breakout game as he adjusts to leading the bench while scoring 18 points in the process. Norris Cole has now stepped into the starting point guard job.
The Heat continue being one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference while the Indiana Pacers are trending in the opposite direction after losing Stephenson to free agency and George to a potential season-ending leg injury. The Pacers finally broke a six-game losing streak with a win over the Utah Jazz. Hibbert led the way with 29 points while AJ Price added 22. Price was the surprise of the game. He had just signed a 10-day contract with Indiana and now appears to be one of their best offensive threats.
The Heat are coming off a few days of rest which is good for Wade. The guard has played in all three of Miami's back-to-back sets while averaging 23.3 points in them. The last time these two teams met was in the Eastern Conference finals last season where Bosh had 25 points to lead the Heat.