Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET the Miami Heat (53-25) will host the Indiana Pacers (54-25) in a matchup that may determine home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pacers are ahead of Miami by a half game in the standings, and both teams have marked advantages when they play at home. Watch the game on NBATV or live stream it by clicking this link. Pacers fans can find the radio broadcast on 1070 The Fan, while Heat fans can head over to WQAM 560.
The Heat have dropped their last two games, the first of which clinched a season-sweep by the Brooklyn Nets. Indiana's had some luck against the Heat as well in 2013-2014, winning two out of their three matchups so far. Both sides appear ready for battle.
"It's going to be intense," Heat forward Chris Bosh said. "It's going to be a hard-fought game. There's something at stake. It'll pretty much be the playoffs and I think it'll be a great atmosphere. ... We expect them at their best. Everybody we play, we expect them at their best because that's what we get."
Heat star LeBron James downplayed the game's importance, as well as the advantage of home court being worth risking the health of key players. Two-guard Dwyane Wade has missed the last eight games with a leg injury.
"It's not controlling our destiny about the No. 1 seed," James said. "We want to get healthy. That's all that we care about, going into the postseason healthy. ... Once everyone comes back, then we can get everything rolling."
LeBron's teammate Shane Battier echoed that sentiment. "It's a great luxury," Battier said. "That's all it is -- a luxury. It's not a necessity. You want to be playing well, and you want to be healthy."
That sounds like lip service, however. Miami is 31-8 at home this season, while the Pacers are just one game over .500 away from Indiana.
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