Eastern Conference Finals 2013: Breaking Down Heat and Pacers Keys to Victory

The Miami Heat have taken a 2-1 advantage over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this series is far from over.

While the San Antonio Spurs are waiting to face the winner after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies, the veteran team will have to keep waiting for the moment. It would not be surprising at all to see this series go the distance with the teams playing all seven games.

However, we have seen both good and bad from both sides in the early going. The teams want to make sure they showcase only the positive part of their game from now on.

Either squad is capable of taking control of the series, but they must focus on these keys to victory going forward.

Keys for Miami Heat

Avoid Settling for Outside Shots

After finishing second in the NBA with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.6 percent during the regular season, the Heat have gone cold in the postseason.

Miami is shooting only 33.9 percent from deep in the playoffs, and things were even worse in the first two games against the Indiana Pacers.

The team went 5-of-18 in the Game 1 win and 7-of-22 in the Game 2 loss. However, the team learned from the mistakes in the third matchup by taking fewer outside shots.

Led by a solid shooting game from Chris Bosh, the Heat went 6-of-14 from behind the arc. The result was the best offensive output of the series.

In the next few games, Miami must continue this strategy by pounding the ball inside and not settling for bad shots outside. This will give the team a better chance to make shots, as well as eventually open things up behind the three-point line once the defense collapses.

The Heat will only win if it remains efficient, and chucking up bad shots is not the way to do it.

Keep Chris Andersen on the Floor

Few could have predicted this a few months ago, but Chris Andersen has been one of the most impactful players in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Birdman has been incredible so far, hitting all 13 of his field-goal attempts from the floor. While most of these are dunks, he is still putting himself in a position to succeed with his high-energy play.

So far in the series, he is averaging 18.3 minutes per game, but he needs to be on the floor even more. The Pacers had a 45-36 advantage in rebounds in the previous game, and it is the biggest thing keeping the squad in the series.

For all that Miami does well, it is a bit undersized in the frontcourt. The team struggled to rebound all year long, and it has allowed teams to remain in games by getting numerous second-chance opportunities.

Andersen is the only person on the team who can truly match up inside with Roy Hibbert and David West, and he needs to play as much as possible in the coming games.

Keys for Indiana Pacers

Double LeBron James in the Post

LeBron James has transformed his game over the years and has realized that he is almost unstoppable in the low post. Paul George certainly does not have a chance of guarding him inside by himself.

This means that the Pacers have to do a better job of double-teaming the MVP when he gets the ball down low. They need to bring in someone with more size who can at least prevent easy looks.

The issue is that this will likely leave someone else open. With James' vision, he has the ability to find an open teammate virtually anywhere on the floor.

Still, the small forward is the most dangerous person in the sport. Indiana needs to do whatever it takes to prevent him from racking up points and winning the game himself.

If James is forced to take jump shots from the outside, the Pacers stand a much better chance of keeping him off the scoreboard.

Stay Mentally Tough

One of the biggest things in this series is the Pacers' mental toughness. Indiana came into this series unafraid of the defending champions and truly believed it could compete with the best in the league.

After a disappointing Game 1 loss in overtime, it would not have been surprising to see the squad struggling in Game 2 on the road. However, the Pacers came back just as strong with a 97-93 victory.

This proved that they can handle whatever problems come their way and turn them into success.

The young group will need to do that once again after being embarrassed at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Game 3. Miami simply looked like it was in a different class in the victory.

However, this series is still far from over. Indiana is more than capable of sticking around if it can play well in Game 4 and even things up 2-2. This requires more than just talent; the team also needs to be tough.

Indiana has proven it can do this in the past, but it will just need to do this again on Tuesday.

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