For the majority of the season, the Eastern Conference has been a tight race between numerous teams. And in the final week of the season, that testament remains no different.
One such example of the close tension between squads is the competition between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. After a close game on Sunday night, the tiebreaker officially went to the Pacers following their 117-115 win. In a Conference as tight as the East, tiebreakers may very well be a necessity.
Myles Turner recorded a double-double which featured 22 points and 13 rebounds in the game, and two of those points were the two game-winning free throws which came at the end of regulation to secure the win, and the tiebreaker, for the Pacers.
Indiana now retains possession of the 6th seed, at 45-34, while the Heat remain in 7th at 43-35. While it is possible for the Heat to surpass the Pacers, it will be a tall order, as they remain 1.5 games behind with only four left to play.
Plus, since the Pacers won the season series against them 2-1, a tie in the standings would mean that Indiana would receive the tiebreaker. That would push the Heat down to the Play-In Tournament.
The Heat barely led in the game, only leading for a brief period of time at the beginning of the first quarter. But three minutes in, the Pacers would take the lead and would hold it for the rest of the game.
While the Heat did cut the deficit down to just one, the hole they dug themselves into in the beginning would ultimately be too much to overcome, something Spoelstra recognized.