It is the matchup everyone is talking aboout, and not the Miami Heat have the chance to seal the deal. Can the Indiana Pacers take this series to Game 7, or will LeBron James and the Heat appease the NBA oddsmakers?
The
young Pacers showed their adolescent side in Game 5, as the Heat out played,
out muscled, and out smarted the young Pacers. Now the Heat are one win away
from a return trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers will be back at
home, which should help their maturity and play. However, Dwyane Wade and
Lebron James have been playing so well as of late, the NBA Odds Makers favor
the road Heat in Game 6 at -3 ½.
Throughout
most of Wednesday, the public pounded the Miami Heat, as the line opened at -2
½, with over 75% of the public betting on the Heat. A big reason for this was the
ankle injury to Pacers’ star Danny Granger late in the 2nd quarter
of Game 5.
Breaking News
Udonis Haslam has been dealt a one game suspension for his flagrant foul against Tyley Hansbrough, and Dexter Pittman will recieve a three game suspension for his attack on Stephenson. Follow the oddsboards to see if these suspensions will swing the lines in our favor.
Back home; down one
Though
nothing is official yet, Danny Granger sprained his ankle and then re-tweeked
it when he tried to come back after half time Monday, and he did not play the rest
of the game. This is huge for the Pacers as he has been one of the only
Pacers to throttle the line of trash talk and disrespect when going toe to toe
with some of the best talent in the world. He hasn’t even been playing that
great, but he is their leading scorer. He averaged 21 points per game against
Orlando in the 1st round, and was hot in Game 5 before going down.
The
latest on Granger is that his mind is telling him yes, but his body is telling
him no. He obviously wants to play, but spraining an ankle and then spraining
it a little more in a span of 30 minutes could spell the end for him in the series. Needless to say, if Granger can’t go, the Pacers are in
trouble.
Blood in water
The Heat
can smell blood, and their two great whites have been shredding in the last two
games. James and Wade have scored a combined 128 points over the last two games,
and more will be coming in Game 6. There isn’t a better road duo on any other
team.
The
Pacers with or without Danny Granger will bring the noise, but there is not a
better pair of crowd silencers in the league than the Miami Heat tandem. The
Heat seem to have found the formula for beating Indiana, but Game 6 will be the
toughest test to date.
The Sharp Pick
The Heat
are 5-2 SU in their last seven games in Indianapolis. This is about all the
data I need to make this pick. If any of you follow my NBA picks, you know I hardly
ever bet Miami because of their overvaluing. However, with Granger looking
doubtful in my eyes, the Heat will be able to lay back on the Pacers’ big guys
and not worry about Granger’s three point shot.
Miami is
also 7-3 SU in their last ten meetings against the Pacers in the postseason and
regular season. If one other Heat player comes to play and scores in double
figures, this will be Miami’s series. James and Wade are playing on a different
level right now, and the Pacers haven’t proven they can stop either of them.
My Pick: Miami ML -158