The Eastern Conference finals will come to a dramatic conclusion as Game 7 between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat comes to a close Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Here comes the ultimate game. To the winner, a trip to the NBA Finals. To the loser, an offseason loaded with regret. It's that simple now for the champion Heat and the confident Pacers, who meet in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night in Miami -- a perk the Heat earned by finishing with the league's best record this season.
"Each and every year there are 30 teams that would love to be a part of this, to have one game to advance to the NBA Finals," James said. "And there's two teams that's in this position. And it's something that you can't substitute, this feeling. You can't substitute the atmosphere that we're going to be in on Monday night for both teams. We should all cherish this moment."
When it's over Monday, only one club will be cherishing the outcome.
For the Heat, it's a chance to move into the finals for the third straight year and keep hope alive of winning a second straight title. For the Pacers, it's a chance to cap what would surely go into the books as one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history, considering that they finished 16 1/2 games behind the Heat in the regular season.
None of that matters much now. The Pacers have beaten Miami five of nine times this season. They need a sixth, or else it was all for naught.
"It is a closeout game and an elimination game," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Our approach right now is not if we lose we're out -- our approach is if we win, we get to the finals. And that's what we're going for. We're going to give our best shot and try to win the Eastern Conference championship."
Monday's winner will open the NBA Finals on Thursday against San Antonio.
