The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are gearing up for their Eastern conference finals playoff series and after the Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in five games, they will have a six day layoff when the series begins on Wednesday in South Florida after the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in six games.
The Heat and Pacers played in the second round last season and Indiana was up 2-1 before Miami came back and won the next three games and this year it is expected to be just as physical and just as intense. LeBron James won his first career title after making it through that series and he is already fired up after he took something Pacers coach Frank Vogel said as a slight, when he called the Heat "just another team" in his press conference.
James shot back at Vogel that the Heat aren't just another team to prepare for, but the following day, Vogel cleared up what he meant and said that he never mentioned those words and instead said that they were "the next team in our way." He added that he has great respect for James and the Heat as a team and that the Pacers will be ready for an intense matchup after dealing with the Knicks. The Pacers were far more consistent during the series than the Knicks and the team will rely heavily on Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert to carry the team against Miami.
The war of words between the two sides is nothing new either, as Vogel was fined $15K last season during the series after saying that the Heat were flopping during the series. Miami rallied in the series from behind and won three straight games, which is the same thing that the Heat did against the Bulls in their first round series. James has played fantastic in the playoffs, but the Pacers might be the perfect team to challenge them, as Indiana won two of three games head to head this year, including two double digit wins. The Heat defeated the Pacers during their 27-game winning streak and James will be motivated, while Chris Bosh will be healthy this time around after missing out last season.
James has been fantastic during the playoffs and he scored over 20 points in every game against the Bulls apart from one and he had 25 points and 27 points in back to back wins in Games 3 and 4. Roy Hibbert is one of the best defenders on the Pacers and he will be all over the court like he was when he blocked Carmelo Anthony's dunk in Game 6 against the Knicks, which helped turn the game around. The Pacers are a much better defensive team statistically when Hibbert is on the court and if he gets into foul trouble the Heat could take advantage. Miami looks to have that championship swagger going in the playoffs and the team will be motivated to win their second straight championship. In the West the Grizzlies and Spurs are going at it for a spot in the finals.
