Pacers vs. Heat: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Odds and More for Semifinal Series

In what should turn out to be one of the most physical playoff battles this year, the surprising Indiana Pacers will take on the Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series for the right to play for the Eastern Conference championship. 

The Pacers were the hottest team in the East at the end of the regular season, winning 17 of their last 23 games to earn the No. 3 seed. A first-round matchup with a wounded Orlando team without its best player never really presented much of a challenge, but that will change against the star-studded Heat. 

Miami never really looked interested in anything that was going on toward the end of the regular season, simply because it was built for the playoffs. The Heat dominated an overmatched Knicks team in the first round. 

Series Schedule

Game 1: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat, Sunday, May 13 at 3:30 p.m. EST (ABC)

Game 2: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat, Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. EST (TNT)

#Game 3: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers

#Game 4: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers

#*Game 5: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat

#*Game 6: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers

#*Game 7: Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat

# Date, time and network TBA

* If necessary

Betting Odds to Win Eastern Conference Championship (Courtesy of Bovada)

Miami: 1-4

Indiana: 14-1

Live Streaming

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What They Are Saying

One of the hot topics of discussion in the postseason every year is the officiating. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel told the media that he is interested to see how the referees call this series because of the way the Heat play. Vogel said, via TheIndyChannel.com:

"

It'll be very interesting to see how the referees officiate this series and how much flopping they reward. Every time you drive to the basket, they've got a guy who's not making a play on the ball, but sliding in front of drivers all the time. They're falling down before contact is even made.

"

The Heat are going to present the Pacers enough problems on their own, so they don't need to battle the officials as well. 

Pacers Player to Watch: Roy Hibbert

There are better players on the Pacers, but as far as the one who will have the most direct impact on the outcome of the series, Hibbert is the key to everything. 

The Heat, specifically LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, love to push the ball up the floor and drive the lane to get easy baskets. 

Hibbert is the kind of big body on the inside that can create problems for James and Wade. If they are getting smashed whenever they move into the paint, they will start to settle for low-percentage jump shots. 

Heat Player to Watch: LeBron James

No matter what happens to the Heat in this series, all eyes are on LeBron James in the postseason. He is the biggest star in the sport and is still in search of his first ring. 

Everyone wants to talk about his postseason struggles, yet they fail to note that he has gotten an undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals and was the key to the Heat making it back last year. 

He influences the game in so many ways that there is not one person in the NBA who is capable of guarding him on his own. As long as James plays with the aggressive style that has been his hallmark, the Heat will be fine.

Prediction

I do think that the Pacers are getting underrated in this series, simply because they don't have that one superstar player teams need to make a deep championship run. 

This will be a long, competitive series that will ultimately come down to how much the Pacers are able to score against the vaunted Miami defense. They will do enough to take a couple of games, but not so much that they can win four times.

Heat win the series in six games.

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