Wednesday’s Heat vs. Pacers showdown may decide East’s top seed
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
This is the time of the season when teams would like to turn it up a notch and be playing their best basketball heading into the postseason. Both the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are waiting for that turning point. Each team is just 5-7 in their last 12 games.
This would have been the perfect time for one of the teams to take control of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, the race is as tight as it has been all year. Wednesday’s head-to-head showdown at Bankers Life Fieldhouse might just end up being the decider when all is said and done.
At 51-20, the Pacers technically have a two-game lead over the Heat (48-21).
However, they only lead Miami by one game in the loss column. Why is that important? It’s important because the Heat have more games left to play and each team wins more than they lose. As far as controlling their own destiny goes, the Pacers have a one-game lead.
Both teams have been much better at home than on the road. The Pacers need to once again take care of their home court on Wednesday night to get a little breathing room in the race for the 1-seed again. These teams will play again in Miami on April 11, which is the third-to-last regular season game for the Pacers. They will want (or possibly need) at least a two-game lead heading into that game to feel comfortable.
Entering Wednesday, here is the breakdown of the remaining schedules for these two clubs:
Pacers: 11 games remaining. (5 Home, 6 Away). 6 against above .500 teams.
Heat: 13 games remaining. (7 Home, 6 Away). 6 against above .500 teams.
Here is another reason why Wednesday’s game is so big: It would ensure the Pacers at least a tie in the head-to-head matchup with Miami. Should the teams tie in the standings, head-to-head would determine the 1-seed. If they also tie in head-to-head games, the next tiebreaker goes by conference record. The Pacers would win that tiebreaker for having a better record against the Eastern Conference (currently 34-9 vs. 28-13).
Both of these teams have more issues to face than the 1-seed race. The Pacers need to find some kind of resemblance to an NBA offense. The Heat need to get Dwyane Wade healthy and stop losing to sub-.500 teams.
When all is said and done, I believe both teams will look much differently come playoff time. I also believe Wednesday’s game will be the biggest of the regular season. More home cooking for the Pacers, or another night that adds to the concerns? Tune in Wednesday night to find out.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
