The NBA standings for 2014 have been shaken up a bit heading into the playoffs, as the Miami Heat are now in first place over the Indiana Pacers by one game in the eastern conference and that gives them home court advantage for now in the postseason, while the San Antonio Spurs have been dominant out west and now they are in first place in their conference standings with the best record.
Miami has been chasing the Pacers all season and now that Indiana is in a slump they have taken over the first seed in the east with just a handful of games left and that could be huge heading into the playoffs. Many have speculated that if the Pacers had home court last season they would have won over the Heat and so this year when the Pacers got off to a great start, everyone kept telling them how good they were, how much better than Miami they were, but that appears to be catching up with the team.
The Pacers didn't get "cocky" necessarily, but they may have let some of that pub get to their heads, as they are breaking down at the end of the season and they have lost two in a row, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. The team at one point had a nice lead over the Heat, but now Miami is in control by one game and the last stretch will determine whether the Heat or Pacers get home court. If Miami can hold onto home court it will do a lot more damage to the Pacers than if Indiana got back from the Heat, as the NBA champions already know how to win a title, while Indiana has won nothing yet.
The Pacers added Andrew Bynum and Evan Turner later in the season and many felt that those moves would put the team over the top of the Heat, but so far they have not made the difference. The Pacers are falling apart and they are starting to snipe at each other and on top of that, Frank Vogel benched Roy Hibbert after playing nine minutes in their last game because he looked "tired", but clearly there are some breakdowns. Miami is looking very good at the end of the season and they are looking to get to the finals for the fourth straight season after losing to the Mavericks and wining two straight championships.
The San Antonio Spurs are first in the west right now and they have a lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The west has five teams clinched and the LA Clippers, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers are all in the playoffs. Seven sports in the east are locked up, with the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks battling for the final spot.
