The NBA Playoffs have one more game in the conference finals with the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers facing off in Game 7 on Monday night and if the San Antonio Spurs have anything to say about it, they are hoping for a Pacers victory.
The Miami Heat would get home court advantage in the finals after having the best record in basketball and if the Pacers win and advance, the Spurs would get home court advantage as the number two team in the West. The Spurs have proven that they do not need to just win at home to advance in the playoffs, but having home court throughout the finals would be a nice advantage to hold onto. The team had it against the Grizzlies and would continue along with it against the Pacers, which may have been one reason why Tony Parker texted old teammate George Hill some tips to defeat the Heat.
The Spurs have been able to chill all week while waiting for the series to finish and now the Heat and Pacers have one more chance to advance. The Heat have been dominant during stretches this series, but so far it has been all Indiana and LeBron James must step up for Miami to advance to the finals for the third straight season. The team is looking for its second title and if Game 6 is any indication, James will be putting everything on his shoulders again.
The Heat took over in Game 5 and got the win after a dominating third quarter that saw James score or assist on 25 of 30 points and the Pacers were outscored 30-13, but in Game 6 the exact opposite happened. The Pacers took over and outscored the Heat 29-15 and that deficit was too big to overcome for James, who led the team in scoring again with 29 points and six assists. Paul George was excellent once again for the Pacers with 28 points, while David West had 14 rebounds. The team got another good game from Roy Hibbert with 24 points and 11 rebounds and he also made a huge play against James to stop a Heat rally.
For Miami to advance on Monday night, James will need to be at his best, but so will his supporting cast, as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have been largely absent this series. James has always been the best player on the court, but that might not be enough to beat the depth of the Pacers.
