Three things Pacers fans should root for, two things to root against to close the season
By Ryan Stano
4. Pacers fans should root against the Miami Heat
The Heat are the biggest threat to the Pacers keeping the 6th seed. They are a team that has had to deal with a myriad of injuries so they haven't been able to improve their seeding as much as they should have. Yet, we all saw what they did last year as an 8-seed.
Miami became the first team to make the NBA Finals after having played in the play-in game. They have guys you want in a seven-game series or down the stretch in the regular season. They sit either a half-game or a game back on the Pacers depending on the day.
Keeping Miami behind them prevents the Pacers from having to battle someone in a play-in game. It also likely would mean they would take on the Cavs in a 3/6 matchup in the playoffs. If they end up in the play-in, there's a chance they could get stuck having to play the Celtics.
Boston is by far the best team in the East and anything that they can do to avoid them would be best. In order to do that, Miami has to keep losing games. The good news for Indiana is that Miami's schedule is harder than there's so it will be harder for the Heat to catch them.
Fans of any East team should take the Heat seriously. They have the best coach in the league and they win games that no one has business winning. This is about the time of year when they buckle down and really start to play hard.
The final thing that Pacers fans should root against has to deal with another team in the East.