Separated by just two games in the Eastern Conference standings with a little over 10 contests remaining for both, the two-time defending NBA Champion Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers will meet Wednesday night in Indianapolis for the third time this season. The Heat (48-21, 20-15 away) have won four of their last six outings and while they hope to enjoy a strong finish to the 2013-2014 campaign, Miami remains fixated on the big picture. Splitting the previous two meetings with the Pacers this season, the Heat find themselves two games back of last season’s Eastern Conference finalist. Understanding that achieving the top spot in the East is certainly a reality, Miami forward Chris Bosh knows that the final two meetings against Indiana -- with the series finale coming on April 11 -- will be huge in determining the top seed.
“As many chances as we had, we kept playing with it, we were struggling, they were struggling, we had our chances,” Bosh said regarding Miami’s inability to capitalize on Pacers losses in recent time, including Indiana’s seven losses in March. "We still have our chance with two showdowns with them. It's coming down to a photo finish. We have a unique opportunity. No matter what's happened this whole season, we're within striking distance. It's here and it'll be a great playoff atmosphere. I can't wait.”
While Miami remains hopeful of moving up the Eastern Conference ladder in order to grab home court throughout the playoffs, the Pacers (51-20, 32-4 home) will be looking to instill their home dominance Wednesday night the way they’ve done it all season. Despite struggling at times during the month of March, head coach Frank Vogel and company remain fixated on the importance of landing home court advantage, something the fourth-year Pacers boss has been preaching since the early part of the season, especially after his team got a front row seat to Miami’s home dominance a year ago.
“We’ve got a goal that we’re hanging onto right now that’s kind of driving us each night, and that’s to earn home-court advantage,” Vogel said. “We think it could be a difference-maker come playoff time against some of these teams. We understood what the Miami Heat accomplished last year, winning 66 games and going on a 27-game win streak. We never feel safe about whatever kind of lead we have in the standings. We feel like every single night could be the difference between having home-court advantage and not having it. So our guys are really keeping that laser focus.”
Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers: DATE, TIME & VIEWING INFO
DATE: Wednesday, March 26
TIME: 8 p.m., ET
TV COVERAGE: ESPN
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
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