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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 1. San Antonio Spurs


Overall Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 58-24, first place Southwest Division





At Season’s End:

1
Team Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
  • Points Scored: 103.0 (4th)
  • Points Allowed: 96.6 (11th)
  • Team FG%: .481 (2nd)
  • Opponent’s FG%: .442 (8th)
  • Team FT%: .791 (3rd)
  • Team Three Point FG%: .376 (4th)
  • Rebounds per game: 41.3 (21st)
  • Opponents rebounds per game: 42.5 (18th)
  • Turnovers per game: 14.1 (18th)
  • Opponents turnovers per game: 14.3 (12th

Individual Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
  • Scoring (ppg): Tony Parker (20.3)
  • Rebounds per gameTim Duncan (9.9)
  • Minutes per game:  Tony Parker (32.9)
  • Assists per game:   Tony Parker (7.6)
  • Field Goal Percentage: Tiago Splitter (.560)
  • Free Throw Percentage:  Gary Neal (.860)
  • Three Point FG Percentage: Matt Bonner (.442)
  • Steals per game: Kawhi Leonard (1.7)
  • Blocked Shots per game:  Tim Duncan (2.7)




Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .


SDH Worst to First Recap
Time Period
Wins/Losses
Rank
Change (+/-)
13-4
3
+6
12-4
3
None
20-6
1
+2
At Season’s End
13-10
1
None
SDH Player of the Year:
Kawhi Leonard




Had the San Antonio Spurs won this year's NBA Finals, the Most Value Player certainly would not have been either Tony Parker or Tim Duncan.  On the contrary, it would have been given to a player who was only in his second year in the league, but also in his first NBA Finals as well.  In that seven game series against the Miami Heat, Kawhi Leonard went from just a mere role player to a potential NBA all star as he averaged 15 points, 11 boards and two steals per game.  His best effort came in the Spurs' heartbreaking game six loss to the Heat when he posted 22 points and 11 boards while shooting .643 from the field.  Had the Spurs pulled through in that game, they would have certainly had to credit that hard fought championship win to Kawhi Leonard's heroic performonce;  nonetheless, despite losing that game and the series, Leonard will certainly be a player to keep an eye on next season for sure. 

Analysis:

After two disappointing playoff trips which saw them lose embarrassingly in the first round to an eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies followed by a sad finish in the Conference Finals blowing a two games to none lead and fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games, it seemed as if the San Antonio's window of opportunity had all but closed.  Despite finishing with the league's third best regular season record, many had given up any idea of the Spurs even returning to the NBA Finals let alone bringing home their fifth Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy anytime soon.  Once the official playoff bracket had been set, many had expected history to once again repeat itself watching the San Antonio Spurs once again finish strong in the regular season to simply come up short once they arrived in the post season.  It had been a whole six years since the Spurs had advanced to the NBA Finals where they would win their last championship and after one disappointing playoff performance after another, it had become pretty clear that time had finally run out on this once unbeatable team.  That was until the 2013 Playoffs where the Spurs not only silenced their critics and dumbfounded their doubters, but also proved that not only the window had not closed on their championship aspirations, but it will remain open for potentially years to come.

First came the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that also failed to live up to enormous hype exorbitant expectations put upon them as they scratching their way to take one of the final open playoff  berths in the Western Conference; however, despite their disappointing regular season finish, some actually saw the Lakers possibly upsetting the Spurs in the first round.  Even without their star player Kobe Bryant, many still saw the Lakers as a dark horse to pull off the first round upset as they not only matched up well with San Antonio in terms of size and age of their respective roster but also that history was squarely not on the Spurs' side.  All of that did not matter as the Spurs simply decimated Lakers easily sweeping them in four games making those who had envisioned an upset victory by LA, one of which being former Laker great and television announcer Earvin Magic Johnson, look like complete and utter fools. Regardless even with the big first round win, many still shrugged it off saying the Spurs would probably screw it up eventually and fall in the second where they faced the upstart Golden State Warriors.  And unlike the Lakers the Warriors not only had the tools to possibly upset the second seeded San Antonio Spurs along with the supernatural help of the powers that be that brought them to that miraculous regular season run.

The Warriors continued that miraculous run by giving the Spurs their toughest battle thus far in the playoffs as the matched San Antonio point for point and game for game; however, San Antonio would take the edge winning game five and finishing Golden State in six games.  Now the Spurs would face a team that not embarrassed them two years ago, but also taken down the Pacific Division leading Los Angeles Clippers and the West's top team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.   Many expected an all out battle that would stretch out to all seven games in the Western Conference rematch against the Spurs and Grizzlies as Memphis had so much to gain while San Antonio had so much to lose; unfortunately, it would not turn out to be the back street brawl as everyone had eagerly anticipated as the Spurs made short work of the Memphis Grizzlies sweeping them four games to none. In fact the series ended so quickly that many had thought it had not happened yet and it seemed almost unfathomable that a team like Memphis, who took down two of the best teams in the Western Conference would fall so easily.  Thus after a five year long absence, the Spurs, who many had given up on the idea of them being a championship contender, would finally return to the NBA Finals once again as they would face the incumbent champion Miami Heat and it would be a battle of the ages.

In what can be considered as the one of the greatest NBA Finals of all time, the Spurs went blow for flow against Miami as the would take a game from each others' home court; however, a game five win at home would put San Antonio three games to two against the Heat and they looked to finish them of in Miami.  It almost looked as of the Spurs would go five for five in NBA Finals wins--they had led Miami by five points with just thirty seconds left in regulation; surprisingly however, Miami would overcome that hurdle to tie the game and bring it to overtime.  The game would go through two overtime periods before Miami was able to claim the game six victory thus tying the series at three games apiece leading to the deciding seventh game in the NBA Finals.  Unfortunately, despite their strongest and most valuable efforts, it would be the Spurs who would eventually fall as Miami managed to drag themselves away to their second straight NBA championship in three years.

Despite losing the Finals, the Spurs can be seen as the true victor as they had silenced all their doubters and skeptics who believed that they were too old and no longer had what it took to become a champion.  They spent the playoffs categorized as complete underdogs from the very start and many did not have them even advancing past the first round let alone making it to a position of winning their fifth NBA Title in fifteen years. During that seven game brawl that the entire basketball watching world had the pleasure and honor of witnessing, the Spurs not only shocked the world by nearly swiping the O'Brien trophy from under the Heat's nose but also shook the player who nobody thought could be shaken--namely the Man of Steel himself, Lebron James. Now Spurs fans can hold solace in the fact that not only their team is still relevant once again, but they will also remain in discussions of who will be NBA Champions for years to come.  With an emerging young core of players to complement the already solid veteran foundation, the Spurs will certainly be a team to watch out for a very long time, and it is quite possible that another NBA title will be returning to San Antonio sooner rather than later.       

Friday, July 26, 2013

SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 2. Miami Heat


Overall Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 66-16 , first place Southeast Division



1
At Season’s End:

2
Team Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)

  • Points Scored: 102.9 (5th)
  • Points Allowed: 95.0 (5th)
  • Team FG%: .496 (1st)
  • Opponent’s FG%: .440 (6th)
  • Team FT%: .754 (16th)
  • Team Three Point FG%: .396 (2nd)
  • Rebounds per game: 38.6 (30th)
  • Opponents rebounds per game: 40.1 (4th)
  • Turnovers per game: 13.3 (6th)
  • Opponents turnovers per game: 14.7 (6th)


Individual Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)

  • Scoring (ppg): Lebron James (26.8)
  • Rebounds per game:   Lebron James (8.0)
  • Minutes per game:  Lebron James (37.9)
  • Assists per game:   Lebron James (7.3)
  • Field Goal Percentage:  Lebron James (.565)
  • Free Throw Percentage: Ray Allen (.870) 
  • Three Point FG Percentage: Shane Battier (.430)
  • Steals per game: Dwyane Wade (1.9)
  • Blocked Shots per game:  Chris Bosh (1.4)




Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .


SDH Worst to First Recap
Time Period
Wins/Losses
Rank
Change (+/-)
11-5
4
-3
10-5
4
None
20-6
2
+2
At Season’s End
25-2
2
None
SDH Player of the Year:
Lebron James

Usually I would go out of my way to find someone on the Miami Heat that is outside of the Big Three of RUN DLC (Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris); however it is getting to the end of this countdown and frankly I am tired of writing.  Nonetheless, Lebron certainly was the team's most valuable player as he led in almost every statistical category on the team; however, despite his phenomenal numbers, there were numerous instances where he did not look as phenomenal as he should have. During the playoffs, he allowed himself to shrivel up and not put up the performances necessary for his team to win and actually hurt his his team in the process.  With all his God given talents of size and strength along with his skills and athletic abilities, you would expect a player like Lebron to be almost invincible; however there is one lingering weakness that prevents him from being that--that of himself.  For a player that is so dominant, he has allowed his opponents to get into his head which led him to play more tentatively which in turn would lead him to not play up to his abilities.  If this season has proven anything, it has shown that the only person that can stop Lebron James and in turn has stopped him is Lebron James himself, and until that is remedied, watch him continue to hold himself along with his team back from being an truly unstoppable force.     
Analysis:

As the Miami Heat hoisted up their second straight Larry O' Brien trophy, instead of the joy and satisfaction that usually comes with winning a second straight NBA title, there was more a sense of great relief because it almost did not happen.  Had it not been for that miraculous double overtime game six win, it would have been the San Antonio Spurs that would have been the ones popping the champagne bottles and wearing their commemorative t-shirts and caps proclaiming their victory.  Head coach Erik Spoelstra would have been fired quicker than you can say "Pat Riley names himself as interim coach,"  and there would probably have talk about Lebron taking a first class ticket out of South Beach.  So much would have simply just fallen apart had the Heat not come back from that five point deficit with thirty seconds left in regulation that it is difficult to give the top spot to Miami despite them winning the NBA's top prize.  Anything short of an NBA title would have been a complete failure and had it not happen, one can go as far to say that the ramification could have been disastrous considering all the money that was invested to create this superpower team.

In the case of this Miami team, it is not just about simply winning titles, but more about making history and forging legacies that will last for generations and thus far they have yet to earn the respect of basketball historians and connoisseurs.  That is primarily because for starters, they lost in their first attempt at NBA gold at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks which can be considered as quite a blemish on the pristine legacy that the Heat had wished to create.  Add the fact that the Heat often at times, did not live up to its facade of invincibility as they had almost slipped and fell not just once but nearly twice off that stratospheric high pedestal that the franchise had created for itself. Before their knock down drag out fight that they had with the Spurs, the Heat faced an equally daunting challenge as they fought to survive against a team that in aspects should have mopped the floor with.  The Indiana Pacers had finished with a less than stellar 49 win regular season and did not nearly have the spectacular season Miami had as it ranked near the bottom in the league in offense; however, this team who many had frankly overlooked, gave the Heat a scare that they would not soon forget.

Similar to the San Antonio Spurs, Miami looked down the barrel of a three games to two deficit losing at home against the Pacers as Indiana beat them in a rather convincing manner holding the home team Heat to just 79 points.  Just like the Spurs, there Pacers also shattered the supposedly invincible facade put upon by the Heat by simply silencing the source of that perceived invulnerability in the team's statistically leader Lebron James.  During the regular season Lebron James was simply unstoppable as he was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locamotive and able to leap tall buildings at a single bound;" however, upon arriving in the post season, it looked as if Lebron's super powers had faded turning him into a mere mortal.  And there was no particular player on that Pacers team that really shut him down on the defensive end because there simply not anyone in the NBA that matches James' mix of size, strength and talent; however for some reason, the one who would be called king simply shriveled up and crawled into a hole to hide.  Indiana figured out a way to stop one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen and it was by physically holding him back, which is a feat that is next to impossible to accomplish, but somehow managed to get in his head turning him from the bloodthirsty beast that he was in the regular season.

Although the numbers do not show it, his increased timidity and tentativeness certainly showed on the court as he went from shooting .565 from the field to .510 in the Indiana series with four of those games where hit shoot under .500.  That slight yet noticeable decline in production bled into the Finals in San Antonio as Lebron James all but completely shut down averaging just under 17 points per game while he shot just .394 from the field and as mentioned before, it was not because of some opposing player, but it was Lebron who allowed himself to shut down.  It did not help the Heat that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were not playing up to stuff either as both he and Bosh were also playing rather sub par than their usual stellar selves.  Wade's offensive production dropped from just a little over 21 per game in the regular season to 15.9 while Bosh saw an even more dramatic drop in his offensive game as his points per game dropped from 16.6 in the regular season to just a shade over 12 per game. With their big three playing far under par, one can say that Miami did not as much vanquish their opponents, but more survived them instead thus further tarnishing their legacy in the NBA history books as one of the league's great championship dynasties.

So from reading on how the Miami Heat shriveled up when they needed more than ever to show that they are not the force that many have envisioned them being.  In fact, one can go as far to say that the Miami Heat can be likened to sheep in wolves' clothing looking all tough and intimidating on the outside, but deep down are shy and timid on the inside--certainly not the kind of team that Heat General Manager Pat Riley envisioned when he originally assembled it two years ago.  Now with one year left until his concoction becomes unraveled, the Miami Heat will be even more pressed to win next year's championship as simply having two straight NBA titles are simply not enough to be mentioned among the greatest teams of all time.  This season, the Heat barely managed to scrape and slip past their competition despite dominating the regular season posting the most wins simply dominating their foes on both ends of the court and it all would for nothing if they had lost that game six against the Indian Pacers in the Conference Finals.  So now the Heat head off into the sunset and wait for next November so they can defend their title once again as the Alpha males of the NBA and hopefully they will put forth a stronger post season performance next year than they had done this year.    

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 3. Memphis Grizzlies

Overall Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 56-26, second place Southwest Division



11
At Season’s End:

3
Team Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
  • Points Scored: 93.4 (26th)
  • Points Allowed: 89.3 (1st)
  • Team FG%: .444 (21st)
  • Opponent’s FG%: .435 (3rd)
  • Team FT%: .773 (10th)
  • Team Three Point FG%: .345 (24th)
  • Rebounds per game: 42.7 (11th)
  • Opponents rebounds per game: 39.1 (1st)
  • Turnovers per game: 13.2 (14th)
  • Opponents turnovers per game: 14.7 (7th)


Individual Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
  • Scoring (ppg): Zach Randolph (15.4)
  • Rebounds per game:  Zach Randolph (11.2)
  • Minutes per game: Marc Gasol (35.0)
  • Assists per game:  Mike Conley (6.1)
  • Field Goal Percentage: Ed Davis (.539)
  • Free Throw Percentage:  Marc Gasol (.850) 
  • Three Point FG Percentage: Austin Daye (.418)
  • Steals per game:  Mike Conley (2.2)
  • Blocked Shots per game: Marc Gasol (1.7)





Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .


SDH Worst to First Recap
Time Period
Wins/Losses
Rank
Change (+/-)
12-2
1
+10
7-7
6
-5
19-9
8
-2
At Season’s End
18-8
3
+5
SDH Player of the Year:
Marc Gasol

He may not have led his team in scoring, rebounds, or even field goal percentage, Marc Gasol was still by far the Grizzlies' best player on the court along with the being the team's strongest leader.  It was primarily because of him that the Grizzlies kept their opponents to scoring under 90 points per game in the regular season along with shooting just .435 from the paint as he has been a stalwart in the paint.  He also was took a leading role on the offensive end not just in proficiently putting the ball in the basket, but also facilitating his teammates as he was second on the team in assists per game behind Mike Conley.  Gasol's play was certainly a factor in the post season as he helped guide his team to not just one but two stunning upsets in the first and second rounds leading Memphis to its first appearance in the Western Conference Finals. So when many try to discount Marc Gasol as an All Star caliber player because his stats do not pop out as some other, all they need to do is watch him play and see that he is more than deserving of the acclaim he has recieved.
Analysis:

At the beginning of the 2012/2013 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies had burst out of the gates with guns blazing as they won twelves of their first fourteen games which had many believing that the Memphis Grizzlies had finally moved from a middle of the pack team to a true championship contender.  Unfortunately those prospects ended as quickly as they went .500 the following month dropping them from the team which had the best record back to the middle of the pack once again.  With their championship prospects dimming with each passing game and them facing ridiculously high luxury tax penalties at season's end, the Grizzlies went into cost cutting mode slashing away at their payroll.  They started by trading pennies to the dollar sending two quality players in guard Wayne Ellington and big man Mareese Speights to the Cleveland Cavaliers for less expensive and FAR less talented Jon Leuer.  Then they went about cutting the hugest salary on their payroll, sending away the team's leading scorer, Rudy Gay, to the Toronto Raptors in a three team trade that also involved the Detroit Pistons again receiving pennies to the dollar in return.

Although many considered Gay to be grossly overpaid receiving a max money contract extension despite not making one All Star team and being overshadowed by his teammates Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, even his critics had to raise their eyebrows questioning the deal.  In return for Gay, a player that had averaged 18 to 20 per game along with six boards and a steal per game, Memphis essentially received two role players who had little or no upside whatsoever and an aging veteran who looked as if his best years had passed him.  They got a young wiry long skinny big man in Ed Davis who despite being a tough energy player for the Raptors, showed little or no improvement in his three seasons in Toronto and it was doubtful than he would be anything more than an energy player of the bench.  From the Pistons, Memphis received another slight build big man in Austin Daye who at 6'11 would rather shoot outside than play in the paint which the Pistons eventually gave up on as like Davis, saw that he would not amount to anything else more than he was right now.  Along with day, the Grizzlies would also receive from Detroit a 33 year old Tayshaun Prince, a player who many believed had squandered his best basketball playing days on a team going nowhere.

It was obvious to many that Memphis made these moves for the sole purpose of saving money and by doing so had cut off any real chance for contending for an NBA title as they gave up a blue chip player in Gay for essentially a bunch of spare parts.  Even when the Grizzlies finished the regular season with a franchise record 56 wins, they was little hope in Memphis that their team would even advance past the first round in the playoffs.  They had finished fifth place in the West thus having no home court advantage throughout the playoffs and they would be facing a team many felt had far more talent and firepower than the Grizzlies could muster.  Despite finishing with the same amount of wins as Memphis, the LA Clippers were still the odds on favorite to advance as their offensive production in the regular far eclipsed that of the Grizzlies while at the same time ranked among one of the league's top defensive teams.  After winning the first two games at home, it looked as it were an open and shut case for the Clippers, but to the surprise and sheer shock of many the series did not end with LA advancing to the second round, the complete opposite happened.

Memphis not only came back to their home court and evened the series at two games apiece, but also would take the wind out of the Clippers' sails by taking game five on the road giving the Grizzlies a three games to two lead and an opportunity to close the series out at home which they in fact did in splendid fashion.  In that moment, Memphis had silenced all doubters who had considered them a one and done team known to exit the playoffs as quickly as they arrived having beat a team who were considered an odds all favorite to reach the NBA Finals.  The Grizzlies would continue to shock the sports world by handily defeating the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that finished the regular season with the second best record in the league behind the Miami Heat with 62 wins, in five games.  After narrowly losing game one on the road, Memphis went on to win the next four as they ground the high octane offense of the once thought of invincible Thunder to a halt.  Having lost their All Star point guard, Russell Westbrook, for the rest of the post season, the Thunder not only lost their primary offensive catalyst, but also much of their swagger which Memphis mercilessly took advantage of.

Next were the San Antonio Spurs and instead of the usual apathy that came with facing such a hardened playoff team, there was actually excitement in Memphis as not only they had taken down two of the West's top dog, they were facing a team that they had already beaten in the playoffs.  Two years ago San Antonio finished the regular season with the best record in the league which earned them the number one seed in the West and would face the underdog at the time Memphis Grizzlies; however instead of mopping the floor with Memphis, the Spurs were left dumbfounded as they were handily eliminated by the eighth seeded Grizzlies leaving a scar on an otherwise superb season.  Now Grizzlies fans were chomping at the bit as they smelled blood in the water as their team faced a foe that they had vanquished before in the postseason and it did not matter that the Spurs won the first two games in the series because Memphis was undefeated at home through the entire postseason. Unfortunately for Grizzlies, their post season magic spell worse as they were quickly decimated at the hands of the Spurs in a four game sweep that was so quick that it did not even seem that the Western Conference Finals even took place.  Nonetheless this season will be remembered by all fans alike when a small market team that had little chance to become a championship contender rose to the upper echelons beating the best in the league and quieting both their skeptics and critics at the same time.     

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

SDH Presents the 2013 End of Season NBA's Worst to First: 4. Indiana Pacers

Overall Win/Loss Record (At Season’s End): 49-32, first place Central Division




2
At Season’s End:

4
Team Statistics and League Rank (At Season’s End)
  • Points Scored: 94.7 (23rd)
  • Points Allowed: 90.7 (2nd)
  • Team FG%: .436 (26th)
  • Opponent’s FG%: .420 (1st)
  • Team FT%: .746 (19th)
  • Team Three Point FG%: .347 (22nd)
  • Rebounds per game: 45.9 (1st)
  • Opponents rebounds per game: 40.9 (8th)
  • Turnovers per game: 14.5 (22nd)
  • Opponents turnovers per game: 13.0 (24th)

Individual Statistical Leaders (At Season’s End)
  • Scoring (ppg): Paul George (17.4)
  • Rebounds per game:  Roy Hibbert (8.3)
  • Minutes per game:  Paul George (37.6)
  • Assists per game:  George Hill (4.7)
  • Field Goal Percentage: David West (.498)
  • Free Throw Percentage: DJ Augustin (.840)  
  • Three Point FG Percentage: Orlando Johnson (.383)
  • Steals per game:  Paul George (1.8)
  • Blocked Shots per game:   Roy Hibbert (2.6)





Taking a Look Back at the Season that Once Was . . .


SDH Worst to First Recap
Time Period
Wins/Losses
Rank
Change (+/-)
8-8
20
-18
10-5
7
+11
18-9
6
+5
At Season’s End
13-10
4
+2
SDH Player of the Year:
Lance Stephenson


During the regular season, Lance Stephenson did not turn that many heads as he averaged a solid yet very unspectacular 8.8 points per game, but he certainly raised numerous eyebrows with his performance in the post season.  It was there that he exploded onto the basketball scene as he was one of the primary catalysts in the Pacers' triumphant performance in the playoffs.  In the 19 games he played, Stephenson averaged close to eight boards per game which was third on the team and was a terror for his opponents on the defensive end grabbing more than a steal per game.   He was certainly a crucial factor in the Pacers' eliminating the heavily favored New York Knicks in the second round as he torched the Knicks in game six posting a double-double 25 points and grabbing 10 boards while shooting .692 from the field.  Stephenson was also instrumental in the Miami series which went to the full seven games before the Heat pulled away in game seven and advance to the NBA Finals.
Analysis:

At the start of the season the Indiana Pacers seemed primed to not only take over their own Central Division but also be the team that would most likely challenge the NBA Champion Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference crown.  The Pacers spent most of the off season upgrading the roster which already included an already solid group consisting of All Star center Roy Hibbert, up and coming swingman Paul George, and sharpshooting combo guard George Hill to name a few.   First they bolstered their backcourt by signing athletic swingman Gerald Green, who previously had a breakout season while playing for the then New Jersey Nets the previous season along with picking up DJ Augustin, an excellent pass first point guard who had been let go by the Charlotte Bobcats.  They then upgraded the backcourt even further by trading away former starting point guard Darren Collison to the Dallas Mavericks for center Ian Mahinimi, who had come off a career year with the Mavs and was expected to be a perfect backup option at center for their All Star Hibbert.  Add the fact that they will be in a far weaker Central Division with a depleted Chicago Bulls squad being their sole competitor for the division crown with their revamped roster, many thought the Pacers would not only easily finish with one of the top five records in the league, but also be the sole barrier to Miami's goal to win its second straight championship title.

Unfortunately none of that could be farther from the truth as the Indiana Pacers stumbled out of the gates upon opening tip off ice cold from the field and looked nowhere near like the team that many had anticipated them to be.  Their All Star center Roy Hibbert went from being the potential superstar stud he was last season to downright dud as he could not hit a basket to save his life shooting a rather pathetic .378 from the field while averaging just a paltry 9.5 points per game.  The team which they had expected to have a more free flowing and explosive offense thanks to their off-season acquisitions failed to live up to expectations as they continued the same plodding half court sets which all but nullified the skill sets and potential contributions of their new acquisitions Green and Mahinmi.  Indiana would go on to start the regular season rather poorly losing six of its first ten games before finishing the first month of the season with a rather less than stellar 8-8 record--not exactly very becoming for a team that was expected to the NBA by storm. As the season wore on, it seemed as if the Pacers would be lucky enough to reach the playoffs--forget about winning the Central Division title or facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Fortunately for the Pacers, they were able to bounce back from their awful start first by returning back to respectability and eventually finished the season first place in the Central Division along with the third place seeding in Eastern Conference Playoffs.  Unfortunately, the Pacers would not finish as strongly as hoped as they ended the regular season with a less than impressive 49-32 record--which would have been considered good for a mediocre team whose only goal was to make the playoffs, but not for a team that had so much expectations as Indiana had upon them.  Indy certainly had plenty of help clinching their division as they had the good fortune of being in a rather weak one where their strongest competitor was even worse on the offensive end than they were in the Chicago Bulls--who dragged their way to the post season without their franchise player Derrick Rose leading them.  Add the fact that the Eastern Conference was nowhere near as competitive as the far stronger Western Conference which boasted five teams with 50 or more win compared to the East's two, the Pacers basically came out of their rather lackluster regular season virtually unscathed.  Now the Pacers would enter the post season with little or no fanfare and virtually no expectations as many expected much of the same flat and stagnant play that they showed during the regular season; however, to the surprise of many, Indy would actually prove all their doubter wrong and put forth such a spectacular playoff performance that it would lead many dumbfounded.

The same team that ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring and field goal percentage during the regular season looked more like the fast paced free flowing team as had been originally advertised before the opening tip off.  Roy Hibbert who saw a sharp drop in his performance during the regular season suddenly transformed into the superstar center in which many had lost hope that he would become as his numbers boosted from an anemic 11 points and eight boards per game in the regular season to a whopping 17 points and 10 boards per game in the playoffs.  After a hard fought first round series where they downed the Atlanta Hawks, a team that could be seen as Indiana's equal in many aspects, the Pacers went on to shock the world and eliminated the heavily favored New York Knicks in the second round and unlike their first round series with the Hawks, it was not even a contest.  The Pacers simply dominated the series as they swept in and took away the Knicks' home court advantage and continued their humiliation of the overall favorite to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals as Indy took a three games to one lead.  The Knicks would eventually fall in six games, but the story would not end as the Pacers would carry on that momentum against the Miami Heat and have both Heat fans and the entire league holding their collective breath.

The Eastern Conference Championship saw Indy take a mighty titan known as the Miami Heat who breezed through the regular season and stormed through the first two rounds of the playoffs and virtually reduced them into the humble status of mere mortals.  The Heat's once mighty champion who had been the catalyst of  the South Beach domination was reduced to the points of being a timid child who suddenly lost his confidence which brought the team down with him.  It almost looked as if Indiana would complete the trifecta and send the Heat packing as they did with the Knicks when the Pacers won game five in Miami giving them the series lead and the opportunity to advance to the NBA Finals.  Miami would have also endured a shattering humiliation as well which possibly led to the departure of head coach Erik Spoelstra as they would have had to live with the shame of being beaten by a team that had not even won 50 games in the regular season. Fortunately for the Heat, they would manage to right their ship winning the next two games and thus return to the NBA Finals for the third straight year;  however, it still does not take away from the triumphant resurrection of the Indiana Pacers, who many did not see as even having a chance to make it past the first round, let alone take a team such as the Miami Heat to the very limit.

Although it brought much joy, pride and even relief to a Indiana fan base who were forced to endure watching their team scratch and scrape through the regular season, it also must have brought much frustration as well as their Pacers should had been playing that way from the very beginning.  From opening the tip off, they should have played with the same swagger that got them as far as the Conference Finals because they certainly had the tools to do so.  Watching Roy Hibbert come alive as he did in the playoffs must have been met as much joy and relief as disdain and disgust considering the fact that he had played so poorly after having earned his first All Star nod the season prior.  Nonetheless, one should point out that it does not matter how one starts a race, but rather how he finishes it and in the case of the Indiana Pacers, they did so in such a triumphant manner that it actually gave their fans hope for the next season.  However, Indiana had not better start next season as they did with the last for the Pacers may not be a lucky the next time around.