The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers provided NBA fans with one of the most entertaining postseason series in recent memory last year. Meeting in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals with a trip to the championship series on the line, LeBron James and the defending champion Heat were given a tough fight from Paul George, Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers. Though the first six games were mostly tightknit contests, Miami proved why they were the best in the league with a convincing victory in Game 7. Riding the wave of momentum into the Finals, the Heat endured another seven-game series with the San Antonio Spurs before raising the trophy for the third time in franchise history.
Set to meet for the first time since that thrilling seven-game series, the Heat and Pacers have once again established themselves as formidable forces in the league. Currently sitting as the top two teams in the East, both clubs have their sights set on a championship and could very well meet once again in this year's playoffs. Owning a two-game lead over Miami (16-5) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers (18-3) also hold a slim edge over the Portland Trailblazers for the best record in the NBA.
Recently wrapping up a five-game road trip that included impressive victories over the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers, Pacers star Paul George hopes Indiana is able to continue their strong play at home against the defending champs. "We did well this trip," George, who is averaging over 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists said recently. "A lot of stuff to take away and things we can nit-pick and take from the teams that we lost to and the teams we played this trip. I think we played well this trip."
While the Pacers have jumped out to a brilliant start, the Miami Heat are not far behind. Since dropping back-to-back games to the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls following a 10-game win streak, the Heat have bounced back to win consecutive contests over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Pistons. Though he appreciates that Indiana is an extremely talented team, LeBron James notes that premier match-ups don't concern him this early in the season since his team is just focused on earning W's.
"They're a great team right now, the way they're playing," James said. "We're trying to get healthy, we're trying to get to our full potential. We'll see what we can do. I don't get too much involved in regular-season matchups, especially early and in December. We're looking forward to the opportunity to play them on Tuesday, but it's not like it's a statement game for us."
Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Tuesday, December 10
TIME: 7:00pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: NBA TV
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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