Finally, the Eastern Conference Finals takes over the NBA Playoff schedule as the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers face off Wednesday evening. Here is game time and key matchups as one team will have the 1-0 lead in this series after the conclusion of Game 1.
The Heat and Pacers' Game 1 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET as the winner of this series takes the Eastern Conference title and makes a trip to the NBA Finals. Of course, the Heat are the favorite, but the Pacers are a worthy challenger having battled through injuries all season long. This is the Heat's third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance while the Pacers are making their first appearance in the Conference Finals since 2004 when they were beaten by the Detroit Pistons in six games.
Physical Matchups
The one guy the Heat look incapable of guarding is Roy Hibbert. He didn't do anything special during the regular season as the Pacers took two games out of three, but he had a big rebounding presence in their first meeting of the year. Even if Hibbert doesn't score 20 points a game, he is a presence in the paint. He grabs offensive boards and gives his team a chance to get second chance points.
David West will rarely take over a game, so he is nothing LeBron James can't handle. However, if Paul George is having an off night and West is hitting jumpers, look for James to defend West. Heck, James might even take on Hibbert a few times as LeBron is capable of defending the tallest guy on the floor. Plus, James might be looking for some type of redemption after little man Nate Robinson blocked his layup in the previous round. If James gets a block on Hibbert, karma will have been served.
Health
The Heat and Pacers both experienced injuries in the second round. Dwyane Wade and George Hill were knocked around and their health was in jeopardy. Their teams can't win without either of these guys in the lineup. The Pacers lost when Hill was out in Game 5 as their bench became depleted and their offense lost its flow. The Heat couldn't put away the Chicago Bulls until Wade stepped up and began hitting shots late in Game 5.
Miami proved to have depth on their bench throughout the season. If these guys can step up while the starts get some rest, then the Heat shouldn't have any problems putting this series away. Look for it to be physical and emotional in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
