NBA Playoff Schedule 2013: Preview and Prediction for Eastern Conference Finals

After five hard-fought games, the Miami Heat have pulled ahead of the Indiana Pacers 3-2 with a chance to clinch another Eastern Conference championship in Indiana in Game 6.

The defending NBA champion Heat put on a dominant performance in Game 5. Led by a superb LeBron James performance that included 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists, the Heat handed the Pacers a 90-79 loss.

The San Antonio Spurs already punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with an impressive sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies. With the Finals set to tip off on Thursday, June 6 regardless of who wins, the impetus for the Heat to win becomes even greater.

Here's a look at the TV schedule for the final two games of the series and the NBA Finals:

Matchup	Game	Date	Time	Television
Miami at Indiana	6	Saturday, June 1	8:30 p.m. ET	TNT
Indiana at Miami (if necessary)	7	Monday, June 3	8:30 p.m. ET	TNT
NBA Finals	1	Thursday, June 6	9:00 p.m. ET	ABC
NBA Finals	2	Sunday, June 9	8:00 p.m. ET	ABC
NBA Finals	3	Tuesday, June 11	9:00 p.m. ET	ABC
NBA Finals	4	Thursday, June 13	9:00 p.m. ET	ABC

*Full schedule can be found at ESPN.com.

Game 6 Preview

Anyone who thinks the Pacers won't show up to Game 6 ready to defend their home court obviously hasn't been watching this series. Similar to Game 5, the Heat had a dominant performance in Game 3, beating the Pacers 114-96 on their home floor.

Roy Hibbert and Co. responded with a 99-92 win to even up the series at two apiece. With the Pacers facing the threat of elimination, a similar effort can be expected this time around.

Keys for Indiana

In Game 5, Indiana's role players really struggled to ever get going. Outside of Hibbert, Paul George and David West, the Pacers got just 14 points out of their other players.

When the Pacers evened up the series in Game 4, they got 39 points just between Lance Stephenson and George Hill.  If just one of those players could help ease the scoring load for Hibbert, George and West, life will be much easier for Frank Vogel.

Another key will be turnovers. The Pacers turned it over 17 times in Game 5. There's simply no way to beat the Heat when giving up the ball that many times. George was the worst culprit with five. He has to have the ball in his hands to be successful, but he has to limit his turnovers.

Keys for Miami

The Heat are now in the driver's seat of this series, but clinching the series without going to a Game 7 is still the optimal situation for them. They would be favored in a final game, but the extra rest would be beneficial going into the NBA Finals against the well-rested Spurs.

The key for Miami in the series thus far has been rebounding. The most obvious advantage that the Pacers have is their size and they've used it to gain control of the boards in the games they've won. In Games 2 and 4, the Pacers held the rebounding advantage, 88-62.

If the Heat can crash the boards and create second opportunities while limiting the Pacers' second chances, this series will be over.

Prediction

This has been an incredibly close and entertaining series—that won't stop now. Expect Indiana's role players to look much better in front of their home crowd in Game 6. George Hill has been especially effective at home this series and his contributions should push the Pacers to even up the series at three apiece to set up an epic Game 7.

Game 7 could be the highlight of the entire NBA playoffs. These two teams have been fighting tooth and nail for the entire series and a dramatic Game 7 would be great for the NBA.

However, in just one game the team with the best player has a huge advantage and that is undeniably LeBron James. Paul George has played at an elite level throughout the series, but asking him to outduel LeBron in Game 7 is just too much.

The Heat should take an excellent Game 7 behind a huge performance from James.

Game 6: Pacers 95, Heat 90

Game 7: Heat 102, Pacers 97