The last time the Miami Heat had extended playing time off they lost. That's a fact. The Chicago Bulls took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in shocking manner and defeated the defending champions, 93-86. The Heat had been off for 10 days when that series started. Is there any way this latest break will affect them against the Indiana Pacers in Game 1?
The last time the Heat played was last Wednesday, that's a six-day hiatus which might work against Miami in this game. The Pacers are a physical team and they have worked the hardest to make the Conference Finals having lost two games in the first round and losing two against the New York Knicks in the conference semis. They hustle after every ball and while many people are wondering about Roy Hibbert or Paul George, there's one guy nobody has considered.
Lance Stephenson took the Knicks to school in Game 6. He scored 25 points and 10 rebounds in a crucial game as the Pacers had to come back late last Saturday against the Knicks. He took over the game by out-hustling the Knicks and being phsyical and driving to the lane. If he puts up a similar numbers in Game 1 of this series, the Heat might not have the answer and the Pacers might surprise them.
The Bulls' secret was physicality. With Hibbert, George and David West, the Pacers have the bodies to prevent the Heat from driving easily to the bucket, which will be key anytime a team faces LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
The Heat have the knack of getting lazy and lacking hustle. It will probably come down to those factors in this series as the Pacers really want to get payback after losing their 1-2 lead in the conference semifinals series last year. Miami has the best player in the world and a deep bench, it will take a lot of undoing for them to lose this series, but don't be surprised if they let Game 1 go.
