NBA Playoffs 2014 Bracket, Standings & Schedule: Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs Look to Advance Conference Finals
Well, here we are again. The Miami Heat continue to dominate the inferior Eastern Conference and look to win their fourth consecutive Conference Championship. The Heat are led by one of the best players in the National Basketball Association, LeBron James, who is a four-time MVP. The Spurs continue to prove that age is nothing more than a number and will attempt to win their fifth championship under Coach Gregg Popovich.
Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EDT on TNT, the Miami Heat will host the Brooklyn Nets. The Heat have a 3-1 series lead after LeBron James went off for a playoff high 49 points in Game 4. Chris Bosh continues to improve his three point shooting, giving Dwyane Wade and James more options in the paint. Role players such as Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole have been stepping up as well. Game 3 was a devastating loss for the Nets; the team fell apart offensively in the final five minutes. The Nets were 4-0 against the Heat in the regular season, but that isn't translating to the postseason very much.
Over in the West, fans can watch the Spurs host the Trail Blazers at 9:30 p.m. EDT on TNT. This appears to be a very bad matchup for the Blazers, who don't have much of an answer for Tony Parker. Spurs center Tiago Splitter has been playing phenomenal defense in this series, just as he did in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobilli are playing terrific and look to boost the Spurs into the third round. Even Marco Belinelli has been provided a big spark off the bench. The Spurs have by far the greatest international influence on the basketball court.
It was just last season that the Spurs and Heat met in an evenly matched NBA Finals that would go seven games. With the Indiana Pacers struggling to score and Roy Hibbert still playing inconsistent, the Spurs may be the only team that can dethrone the Heat once again. Kevin Durant and the Thunder don't have the defense to defeat the Heat in a seven-game series. The Thunder were eliminated by the Heat in just five games in the 2012 NBA Finals.
Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, and Kevin Garnett must increase their play in game five. The Nets and coach Jason Kidd know winning three in a row won't be easy. For the Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard have to start hitting open shots and get to the free throw line more often. Both the Spurs and Heat have a 3-1 series lead in Game 5 Wednesday night at home and are on a collision course for an NBA Finals rematch.
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