Would you sacrifice the possibility of hosting a Game 7 at home in the Eastern Conference finals if it meant a smoother path toward getting to those Eastern Conference finals?
That is a question the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat have to be asking themselves with seven days left in the regular season.
Chances are, the second place team will avoid the Brooklyn Nets or the Chicago Bulls in the second round, because the Toronto Raptors currently sit third in the Eastern Conference and should be able to win the remainder of their games — locking themselves into the 3 seed.
That would mean Chicago and Brooklyn would play in the 4 vs. 5 matchup, with the winner advancing to face the No. 1 seed. For Miami, that doesn’t look so enticing.
The Heat were swept 4-0 in their season series with the Nets, and they went 2-2 against the Bulls. So while LeBron and James and Co. do not fear either of those two teams, they are aware of the reality that both of them play Miami tough.
By finishing second, the Heat would have a first-round matchup with the Bobcats or Wizards, then would advance to play one of those two teams, or the Toronto Raptors. And while the Raptors are a tough team, they have nothing remotely resembling the playoff pedigree of Brooklyn and Chicago.
This was one of the many topics of discussion in this interview with The Big O show on AM640 in Miami.