NBA Playoff Outlook: Are the Pacers and the Sixers a Threat to Win the East?

The Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers are in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. These same two teams were the seven and eight seeds just one year ago.

Head coach Frank Vogel took over as interim coach midway through the 2011 season and led the Pacers to the playoffs. Vogel now has his team at 12-5 and only two-and-a-half games behind the first place Chicago Bulls.

The Pacers have a strong defense and can contain most teams. They are first in the league in shooting defense, allowing their opponents to shoot only 41.2 percent from the field. They are also fifth in scoring defense, allowing 90 points a game.

Rebounding is another strength for the Pacers. They are third in the league averaging 53 rebounds a game. The addition of David West this offseason along with the play of Roy Hibbert, has made Indiana a force down low defensively.

The only problem for Indiana is their offense. They are 26th in the league in shooting percentage and 19th in total points. Defensive contests against teams like the Bulls on Wednesday night are games the Pacers can win. However, games against a team like the Heat will be difficult for them.

The Heat are fast and love to run the fast break. Indiana could not contain the transition game from the Heat when they played earlier this year. The Pacers lost that game 118-83 and committed 23 turnovers that led to 28 Miami points. If the Pacers are going to win the East, they will need to have the right matchup, which means avoiding the Heat.

As for the Sixers, they currently lead the Atlantic Division by four games over the Boston Celtics. Under coach Doug Collins, you can expect Philadelphia to play every game hard and not take a day off. Night after night they play quality basketball on both ends of the court.

The Sixers are in the top 10 in many categories this year, including second in the league in points allowed. They too had trouble against the Heat this year, losing 113-92. When these two teams meet again do not expect the same results. The Sixers are third in scoring and are a very non-selfish team. That along with their defense gives them a shot to win every series in the playoffs.

Matchups will be key when the playoffs come around for both the Pacers and the Sixers. Whoever they do wind up playing though, better watch out.