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Pacers potential playoff opponents preview: Miami Heat

By Ben Renz

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 25: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat embrace after the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 25: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat embrace after the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Victor Oladipo Dwyane Wade Pacers Heat
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 25: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat embrace after the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 25, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The NBA playoffs begin in just over two weeks. Let’s preview a series against every potential first-round opponent for the Pacers, starting with the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat (41-36) currently sit at seventh in the Eastern standings, two spots behind the Pacers. If the season were to inexplicably end right now they’d be facing off against the two-seeded Celtics. But this is the reality, and Miami has five games remaining on the schedule, three of which are against tanking teams, and the other two against relatively tougher opponents: the Thunder and Raptors. The Heat could conceivably slot up to the sixth spot, currently occupied by the confused Wizards, but anything higher is improbable.

The Pacers could potentially be in that three-seed driver seat and face the Heat in the three-six matchup. But there’s no telling. The Sixers are currently on a ten-game winning streak. The Cavs have won three straight and, let’s be honest, over the last decade no single man has done more damage to the hearts of Pacer fans than LeBron James. But the Pacers have the tiebreaker over both squads, so if all three end the season as record triplets, the Pacers get that third seed.

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So how favorable of a matchup for Indiana is Pacers v Heat?

The Pacers tied the season series 2-2, with a blowout win in November, a close loss in January, a loss in the third game of the season, and last week’s overtime W in Indy. The Heat have lost three of their last five games, including Saturday night’s overtime loss at home to the lottery-bound Nets. Yikes.

But the Heat are not a team to overlook. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has a deep bench of talent to work with, and the Heat are currently sixth in Defensive Rating (106.4, per Basketball-Reference) and hold opposing teams to just 45 percent FG shooting, also sixth in the league. They dismantled the Cavs just last week, 98-79, and their overall play in the calendar year 2018 – or, post-Dion Waiters injury – has been pretty damn good.

So how do the starters match up?

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