AMONG the four remaining teams still available to contend for the Larry O’Brien championship hardware in the 2014 National Basketball Association playoffs are those with the three best win-loss records during the regular campaign.
And the fourth squad to reach the postseason’s Final Four (conference finals)? Surprisingly, it’s the two-time defending NBA titlist Miami Heat, who were only tied with Portland and Houston (both already on vacation and have gone fishing) for the fifth-best mark during the regulars.
The best-of-seven conference finals matchups are: East – Indiana vs. Miami and West – San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City.
The Spurs, who topped the regular wars with a 62-20 ledger, will have homecourt advantage against the Thunder but it must be noted that OKC whitewashed SA, 4-0, during their head-to-head regular duel.
San Antonio will also host potentially four games in the NBA Finals with a comebacking 2-2-1-1-1 format against the Indiana-Miami winner granting it reaches the final round.
By virtue of a better regular-season record, the Pacers (56-26) will also enjoy homecourt edge over the Heat (54-28) in the East finals, with the first two games of the series to be held in Indianapolis, including Game 1 on Monday, May 19 (Manila time). Indiana and Miami split their four-game regular series.
During the second-round (conference semifinals) playoffs, top seed Indiana downed fifth-seeded Washington, 4-2, after going 3-0 on the Wizards’ home floor, and second-seeded Miami blasted sixth-seeded Brooklyn, 4-1, in the Eastern segment and top seed and overall No. 1 ranked San Antonio knocked off fifth-seeded Portland in five games (after going up 3-0) and second-seeded Oklahoma City took care of the third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in six games (winning the last two) in the Western portion.
Note that even if the Clippers (57-25) had beaten the Thunder (59-23) in their West semifinal duel, the Heat (54-28) would still have given up homecourt advantage to LA had the two clubs reached the NBA Finals.
That’s because the Clippers also owned a better regular card than the Heat.
For the Heat to become the fourth franchise in NBA history to annex three straight league championships after the Minneapolis (1952-53-54) and Los Angeles (2000-01-02) Lakers, Boston Celtics (1959-60-61-62-63-64-65-66) and Chicago Bulls (twice, 1991-92-93 and 1996-97-98), Fil-American Erik Spoelstra’s troops need to overcome a two-stage obstacle course by stealing at least one game on the road in both the East finals and NBA Finals.
Facing the rest of the Final Four cast, Miami will travel to Indiana in the first two games of the East finals and will also open a potential fourth consecutive NBA Finals stint against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City on the road.
The 1995 Houston Rockets, a West sixth-seeded team bannered by Hall of Famers and former University of Houston teammates Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, did not have homecourt advantage in any of the four rounds during the 1995 NBA playoffs but went on to capture a second straight league crown with a 4-0 sweep of Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in the Finals.
“Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion,” said Rockets bench boss Rudy Tomjanovich after his team retained its NBA diadem.