
The Indiana Pacers entered their series against the New York Knicks as the prohibited underdog.
Well, it seems like the underdog was really the better team. The Pacers outworked the Knicks all series long as they finished New York off in six games. The Pacers are headed to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2004. Their opponents, the Miami Heat, are going to be the favorites coming into this series and the Pacers aren’t being given much of a chance to win. But contrary to popular belief, the Pacers do have a shot to win this series. But a few things must happen.

Indiana is a young team that is missing one of their vets, forward Danny Granger. With Granger last postseason, the Pacers were more of a perimeter team that did not feed Roy Hibbert the basketball consistently. Without Granger this season and series, the undoubted focus will be on big man in the paint. With all the strengths the Heat have, one of their weaknesses is the center position. If Hibbert can make the Heat respect his post game, that will open up the offense for more slashing from Paul George and the rest of the young Pacers. Also a good post game could deter the Heat from using one of their favorite lineups that features Chris Bosh at the center spot and LeBron at the power forward spot.
The Pacers also present another huge challenge for the Heat on the boards. The Knicks witnessed how bad the Pacers can beat you up rebounding. In a total of six playoff games, the Knicks were outrebounded every game except for one. And the disparity between the two teams was not even close. Miami, for as talented a team that they are, has issues when it comes to rebounding. If the Pacers are able to control the boards, they will be able to limit the amount of times Dwyane Wade and LeBron James get out in transition. The Heat are definitely easier to defend in the half court game, so the rebounding will be very critical. Also, the rebounding would be a big advantage on the offensive end of the court. The Pacers would create more offensive shots for themselves and limit the amount of possessions the Heat have in the game.

Paul George will also need to be a huge factor in this series. The budding NBA star has been getting it done on both ends of the court and has finally started to come into his own this season. Against the Heat, George will probably draw the assignment of guarding LeBron James. George’s height (6’8”), wingspan and quick feet give have been giving teams fits. And with LeBron, what seems to bother him most is not bulky defenders, but defenders with quick feet and long reach. Offensively, George must exercise patience. If he probes the defense for the best shot possible instead of just settling for jumpers, he could cause the Heat problems. He is one of the keys to the Pacers offense and he must get going. If he is able to play his game, then the Pacers become more than a handful for the Heat.
The Heat and the Pacers should be a good series. The Heat are expected to win. But if the Pacers can do the things that make them successful, they could potentially win this series.
What chances do you give the Pacers to beat the Heat?
Mike Patton, aka "The Sports General," is the founder of The Everyday Man's Sports Blog and the sports writer for FreesWorld.com.
Follow him @General_MP and on Facebook.