SB Nation St. Louis: All Posts by Ricky O'Donnell

NBA Playoffs schedule 2013: Pacers shut down LeBron James late, even series

2013-05-25T00:36:51Z

Game 2 looked a lot like Game 1, but this time, the Pacers made plays late. Indiana forced LeBron James into two turnovers down the stretch to come away with a 97-93 victory to even the series at 1.

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are back in action Friday after a thrilling game that came down to overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James' layup with only seconds left gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the series, and now they'll look to take a 2-0 lead by sweeping the first two games in Miami.

It was horrible and wonderful all at once. I don't know how long it will last, but I hope it's here for awhile. Although it ended in heartbreak last night, it felt good to be a little kid again, so thoroughly invested in one of the most extrinsically meaningless creations of our modern society. In the end, I'd have loved a Pacers' win. But I'll settle for a beautiful reminder that in sports, emotion is not just a variable. It's what binds me to the sport. It's what binds me to the players, and them to each other. It's what holds the whole damn thing together.

Game 2 is Friday in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

For more on the Heat's quest for back-to-back titles, visit Hot Hot Hoops

Falling into a 0-2 hole against the defending NBA champions is not a place the Pacers want to be as Miami has steamrolled through the playoffs. They've lost a total of two games since April and only one game (Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals) in the playoffs. The Heat have won four straight games against each of their previous opponents in the playoffs.

Will the Pacers bounce back and finish the job they started in Game 1? Can Miami take both games in the series before heading to Indiana? Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals should be another must-watch playoff game.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: Heat opened as 7-point favorites, via Oddsshark.com

More from SB Nation:

• Prada: Would Hibbert have stopped LeBron?

• Video: LeBron's game-winner | GIF: Hibbert shakes his head

• NBA mock draft consensus: Noel to Cavs | SB Nation's Big Board

• Cavs win the Lottery | Complete draft order

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

NBA Draft 2013: Shane Larkin stands tall in the crowd

2013-05-24T17:00:05Z

CHICAGO -- You tend to believe Shane Larkin when he says the NBA's current crop of hyper-talented point guards doesn't intimidate him. From the moment Larkin made basketball his full-time focus, he's been peppered with doubts.

He's aware he's undersized -- measuring at 5'11, Larkin is the shortest player at the draft combine who will garner consideration in the first round. He's aware that some teams question his playmaking skills after he averaged under five assists per game as a sophomore at Miami. And he's aware that point guard is the most stacked position in the NBA.

As Larkin starts to name the league's best point guards, he says their names with a certain reverence. He doesn't stop at Russell Westbrook or Tony Parker, he keeps going. Jrue Holiday, John Wall, Stephen Curry, the list goes on. Larkin's job at the next level will not be an easy one. He'll be tasked with matching wits against some of the league's most skilled and athletic players, many a few inches taller than he, from the moment he steps onto a pro court. Just don't tell Shane Larkin that his height will work against him.

"Everybody says being a small point guard in the NBA, you're at a disadvantage," said Larkin at last week's draft combine in Chicago. "If you look at guys like Chris Paul, Ty Lawson, there are a lot of guys that are undersized and they're still killing it. They just have to find ways to use their size to their advantage. Bigger guys have just as tough a time guarding smaller guys, just like smaller guys have a tough time guarding bigger guys. I just have to find ways to use my height to my advantage."

Imagine trying to defend Kyrie Irving as he unleashes a killer crossover on you. Picture the task of corralling Derrick Rose as he hits the open court with an extra gear. Consider how blowing by a college defender is nothing like trying to get past the alien limbs of Rajon Rondo.

Shane Larkin is a brave man. If he can turn himself into a solid starting point guard in the NBA like he believes he can, he'll silence plenty of seemingly logical doubts.

* * *

"Just getting up in somebody on the defensive end," said Larkin when asked how, exactly, he plans on using his short stature to his advantage in the NBA. "If you're lower than somebody on the defensive end you can really get in them, make it hard for them to dribble the ball and get up the court.

"Just being a pest on defense, that's one of the things I really have to do at the next level. And just being able to be in the lane, get by any defender. I have to get in the lane to make plays. Even if it's not shooting a floater or going on the way to make a layup, I need to be able to kick and make the right decision for my team."

Talk to Larkin for a few minutes and it's clear he understands the game. Not every player at the draft combine is quick to bring up concepts like leverage and angles, but Larkin will. He also has another factor working to his advantage: when it comes to pure athleticism, few players, if any, can match up with him.

NBA history is chock-full of impressive leapers who couldn't really play, but explosiveness is undoubtedly a key component for an NBA point guard. Larkin proved he's as explosive as they come by posting a 44-inch vertical leap at the combine, the second highest mark in combine history. He also finished with the fastest sprint time and posted impressive numbers in the lane agility test.

Basketball success isn't measured on a stopwatch, but there's no denying the NBA is the world's greatest collection of athletes. Part of that is because nowhere else will you find human so tall who can move so fluidly.

Shane Larkin will never get any taller, but he's proven to have elite athleticism. No one is taking that away from him, either.

Larkin's breakthrough moment in a breakout sophomore season happened on January 23. That's when the Hurricanes welcomed No. 1 ranked Duke to Coral Gables and Larkin announced himself to the college basketball world. Miami blitzed Duke 42-19 in the first half thanks to a collection of superior athletes, a group headed by Larkin. Larkin would finish the night with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on 8-of-14 shooting as Miami scored a 27-point upset victory. More telling is what his defense did to opposing point guard and fellow NBA hopeful Seth Curry. Curry's night ended with zero points on 0-of-10 shooting.

Larkin says he's always had a knack for playing up to the competition, a trait that should serve him well as a pro. In his second meeting against the Blue Devils in March, Larkin posted 25 points and four assists on 8-of-16 shooting in a three-point loss at Cameron. It helped set the table for the Sweet 16 run he keyed. Larkin scored 17 against Illinois in the Round of 32, a performance that included three backbreaking three-pointers in a game he would play all 40 minutes.

There are knocks on Larkin aside from his size, though. Some worry that he isn't the natural playmaker some of the other point guards in this class are. Trey Burke averaged more than two assists per night more than Larkin; Syracuse's Michael-Carter Williams nearly averaged three assists more per night. Even Ty Lawson, the player Larkin is most often compared to, averaged 5.6 assists per game his last year at North Carolina, a full assist higher than what Larkin averaged.

Instead, Larkin will have to prove that he can shoot the ball from distance as his playmaking skills develop. Fortunately for Larkin, this is where he truly shines. He shot 48 percent from the floor this year, an impressive number for a diminutive guard, and shot over 40 percent from three-point range on 4.7 attempts per game.

There's another thing Larkin is confident he can bring to an NBA team from day one: professionalism.

"Leadership and professional background just because my dad played baseball," said Larkin, son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin. "I know what it takes to be a professional I know about all the sacrifices you have to make, just watching him make all of those sacrifices, not being able to be with your family. I know how to be a professional just by watching him"

Larkin is prepared to take the next step in his career. Don't tell him he can't do it.

More from SB Nation:

• Prada: Would Hibbert have stopped LeBron?

• Video: LeBron's game-winner | GIF: Hibbert shakes his head

• NBA mock draft consensus: Noel to Cavs | SB Nation's Big Board

• Cavs win the Lottery | Complete draft order

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

The Bulls shouldn't trade Luol Deng

2013-05-24T16:19:18Z

[Note by your friendly BullsBlogger, 05/24/13 1:19 PM CDT: BTW, news just broke that Deng is not going to have surgery on his wrist this offseason. Thinking optimistically, maybe his poor shooting was more due to a broken thumb! ]

The worst kept secret among sports fans is that the offseason can often times be more fun than the actual season, but all signs point to a relatively quiet summer for our Chicago Bulls. This is a change of pace from what we're used to; frankly, it might be a welcome one.

The memory of the summer of 2010 and all that came with it remains fresh. I will never forget the immortal World Wide Wes convincing this entire city LeBron James was about to be a member of the Bulls, when he told the universe "We're Going to Chicago, And Chris Bosh Is Coming, Too". Then there was D. Rose's preference to play with Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer over James/Wade/Bosh, the hilariously doomed Power Point presentation to LeBron, and the eventual settling for Carlos Boozer as the big piece and Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson and Ronnie Brewer as the complimentary parts.

The next summer was lockout shortened and distinct by only one move: the Bulls mercifully replacing Keith Bogans at starting shooting guard with Richard Hamilton, a move that, as we all know, didn't exactly work out like planned. We spent last summer reading about Kirk Hinrich's cul-de-sac and his Dominick's rewards card, fretting over Nate Robinson and exhibiting cautious optimism about the signing of Marco Belinelli.

Coming into this offseason, the Bulls face few questions. They have $73 million already committed to eight players; worrisome because last season's salary cap was set at $58 million with the tax line drawn at $70.3 million. We all know the Bulls just paid the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history and we know the new CBA has made penalty for doing so more punitive -- not just the dreaded repeater tax that keeps Jerry Reinsdorf up at night but also by limiting exceptions used to sign free agents and make trades.

The one thing the Bulls really have to do this offseason is rework the bench; namely find a backup center more capable than Nazr Mohammed and a backup wing who can provide some offensive firepower. It would be great to have either one or both of Marco and Nate back, but early indications seem to be that both are likely to sign elsewhere. Gar Foreman and John Paxson have proved to be adept at replenishing the bench in the past and we should trust them to do so again. The core of the team remains the same: Derrick Rose returns as the point guard and primary scorer, Jimmy Butler steps into the shooting guard slot, Luol Deng is the small forward, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson share power forward duties, Joakim Noah holds down the middle.

There is one drastic move the Bulls could make to shake things up, though. They could trade Luol Deng.

This has become a topic of conversation for the second straight year, spurred on by the development of Butler and the Bulls' current cap situation. Deng is slated to become a free agent after next season and his expiring contract (combined with All-Star level play) is thought to be of interest to some teams. My question: how does trading Luol Deng at all make any sense for the Bulls from a basketball perspective?

If you're trading Luol Deng, you want a draft pick back. This is easy because rookies do not make any money. It is cheap labor. Look no further than the $1.1 million Butler is slated to earn next year in his third season. The ideal trade for Chicago would be Deng for a high draft pick and a competent veteran who can match salaries; remember, the Bulls also have Kyle Korver's trade exception of $5 million should they choose to.....hahaha.....take on more salary.

Problem is, you don't want anyone from this draft class. The two names who might be intriguing are Indiana's Victor Oladipo and UNLV's Anthony Bennett, but it's unlikely someone in position to grab the former would be willing to trade him for Deng, while the latter is more of a four than a three. The Bulls already have their power forward of the future and he's currently winning MVPs in Spain.

What other deals for Deng are out there that would make sense? In hindsight, the Deng for Harrison Barnes trade that was thrown around last year would have been ideal, though if memory serves the Bulls were rumored to trade up for the eighth pick with Toronto while Barnes went at No. 7.

Instead, the Bulls should suck it up and pay the tax again. I know YFBB wrote that nothing he saw in the series vs. Miami leads him to believe the Bulls would have a shot against the Heat in the postseason next year, but I think I disagree. I think the Bulls have as good a chance as any team next year, assuming they're all healthy (huge assumption) and assuming the front office can again successfully rework the bench.

The Bulls beat Miami once and played them very close twice without Rose, Deng and Hinrich. To me, that is huge. The way to beat Miami is to play killer defense and move the ball on offense; it's why the Thunder could only get one game from them in the Finals last year despite having Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden on the team. Those might be the three best one-on-one players on Earth, but it's damn near impossible to beat Miami going one-on-one. You need to share the ball and the Bulls have proven they can do that. I don't even want to put a percentage of on the Bulls' chance next year, but I think the chance exists, no matter how small it might be.

Because I believe the Bulls would be, on paper, the third best team in the NBA next season, they should retain Deng instead of trading him for cap relief. We already saw Butler give LeBron hell defensively; throw in Deng's typically stellar defense that was missing in action this year and the Bulls can really lock up the perimeter. Unless you're going to swing for the fences with a Kevin Love trade, I think I'm actually OK with the 2014 plan. I realize this might get me banned from Blog-a-Bull forever, but it makes sense to me.

The Bulls have, in my estimate, a shot at defeating the Heat in the playoffs next year. If they don't, they have Mirotic coming over the following season, have Deng's deal expiring and can amnesty Carlos Boozer. This upcoming season is about sitting tight and seeing what you have. Because we never got to see what the Bulls had last season.

I'm all for rolling the dice and being creative, but that just doesn't seem like it's in the cards this year. Instead, let's see what the Bulls really have. That means everyone needs to be here, including Deng.

NBA Playoffs 2013: 5 things that ruled about Heat-Pacers Game 1

2013-05-23T18:47:48Z

This Heat-Pacers series was never supposed to be much fun. It was supposed to be tough, gritty, hard-nosed and all the other buzzwords that excite a certain type of sports fan. It was supposed to be the league's most efficient offense vs. the league's most efficient defense, and the end result was assumed to be a series of close-ish, well-played games that ended with scores like 90-85 more often than not.

AND THAT is why you never make assumptions about the NBA Playoffs. Contrasting styles are almost always great, physicality can provide more watchability than a bunch of alley-oops, and there's something to said for two fantastic coaches at the top of their games who aren't going to make any boneheaded errors in crunch time. Whoops.

Anyway, Game 1 between the Heat and Pacers, which ended in a 103-102 overtime win for Miami, was awesome. It was one of the best games the 2013 NBA Playoffs have given us yet, right up there with Game 2 of the Clippers-Grizzlies series, Game 4 of the Bulls-Nets series and every crazy game that predominately involved Stephen Curry going off for the Warriors. This was something not far away from an instant classic and it left plenty memorable moments and lasting takeaways. Let's investigate some of those:

1. Frank Vogel needs to get on Twitter

I feel like if Twitter would have coached the Pacers tonight, Indiana would've won.
— John Breech (@johnbreech) May 23, 2013

Let's run through this real quick.

The Heat have the ball and call timeout with :24 seconds remaining with the score tied at 99-99 in overtime. The Pacers take out Roy Hibbert for Sam Young, because everyone knows you never want one of the best rim protectors in the NBA on the court in crunch time. This is Frank Vogel's logic and, unsurprisingly, LeBron James takes advantage of it. After a 4-1 pick-and-roll, LeBron's eyes light up when he sees George Hill is switched onto him. What is easier than taking candy from a baby? Because that's what LeBron did in driving to the cup for the go-ahead layup to put Miami ahead 101-99 with :10 seconds remaining.

After the great Paul George (more on him later) gets fouled on a three-point attempt and subsequently hits all three free throws like a boss, Miami gets the ball again at halfcourt with 2.7 seconds remaining.

AGAIN Vogel chooses to sub-out Hibbert, this time for Tyler Hansbrough. This was especially crazy because the same stupid substitution just got his team burned, like, EIGHT SECONDS AGO. Twitter was up in arms over it, which is nothing particularly distinguishing but still noteworthy: this wasn't a case of second-guessing and hindsight being 20/20. Most people watching this game were confounded from the moment the Pacers took the floor without their awesome defensive center on the game's last possession.

You know what happens next: LeBron burns Paul George because he is LeBron and the rest of us are just flawed human beings, there's no rotational help to challenge the shot because Hibbert is on the bench, and the Heat steal a ridiculous victory in Game 1. Mike Prada has the full breakdown and you should read it. He argues that Hibbert's presence wouldn't have guaranteed a stop, and it's totally true. But still: the logic behind taking your best rim protector off the court in the game's final seconds, especially after doing the same thing *eight seconds ago* just got your team burned, is a little bit infuriating.

I feel for Pacers fans right now, because their team played a hell of a game. But back to that final play one more time, let's not discount one thing:

2. The Heat are masterfully crafted

Watching Kendrick Perkins kill the Oklahoma City Thunder during these playoffs, my colleague Jonathan Tjarks commented "If Scott Brooks was coaching the Heat, Joel Anthony would be starting."

This is true and it's the reason you have to appreciate the tactical genius of Erik Spoelstra and the Heat's front office.

As ridiculous as it was not to have Hibbert on the floor, you can sort of see what Vogel was thinking. Miami's lineup on that final possession was: LeBron, Shane Battier, Norris Cole, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen. Notice something about that group? All five can space the floor and hit an open three-pointer.

Much has been made of the Heat's makeover this year, an evolution that started when Bosh injured himself against the Pacers in the playoffs last year and Miami was forced to move to a small-ball lineup with LeBron at power forward. Whether the Heat stumbled into this accidentally or not, it changed everything forever. The last possession of Game 1 was a premium example of why.

More postgame coverage: Indy Cornrows Hot Hot Hoops

As Prada detailed, watch all of the action that starts the play before Battier even makes the inbounds pass. There's a lot going on there, and a lot the defense has to notice. Screens and switches and all of that. What makes it all so scary from the defense's perspective is that there's no Kendrick Perkins on the floor. Any of those five dudes could have hit a game-winning shot from distance and it would have been over.

Credit the Heat for building and properly using a team that seems ahead of its time. Vogel still made what looks like an egregious error, but it only happened because Miami is so difficult to successfully defend.

3. Paul George, star in the making

Why Paul George is not a star.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 23, 2013

Skip Bayless, bless his well-paid contrarian heart, tweeted this about two minutes before Paul George hit the single most ridiculous shot of the playoffs. It was a 32-foot three-pointer off a broken play that swished through the net with under one second remaining to push the game to overtime. It was fantastic:

Seriously: that is an insanely difficult, clutch shot from what might be the breakout star of this NBA season. What happened on Wednesday in Game 1 was simply a continuation of what's been developing all season: Paul George just being a monster, turning himself into one of the coolest players in the league.

George ended with a final line of 27 points, five assists and four rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting, which is impressive enough by itself. Factor in that he played 47 minutes and defended LeBron as tough as one can humanly defend LeBron, and George starts to look heroic. Then consider this: coming into the fourth quarter, George had nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.

Dude did what great players do: he turned it on in the fourth quarter. When the Pacers played the Bulls in the first round of the 2011 playoffs, the common refrain was that Indiana was more goon than good, a phase highlighted by the existence of Jeff Foster. Not anymore. Indiana has a star, and his name is Paul George.

After the game, he also wore a pretty dope shirt:

Paul George wears green enzyme shirt twitpic.com/csj3oz/full
— Ben Golliver (@blazersedge) May 23, 2013

4. BAD SPORTS TOWN

LOL RT @ethanjskolnick: Fans are leaving.
— SBNation NBA (@SBNationNBA) May 23, 2013

"To be a great sports town you need a dying economy and millions of horrible white people who buy those NFL lawn gnomes from NFL.com and spend $20,000 on tailgating every year. If you live in a great sports town you should probably move immediately."

Those are the immortal words of Andrew Sharp, and they are no less true now than they were during the NFL season. But still: there's something totally hilarious about a good percentage of Miami's crowd getting up and leaving after George knocked down his free throws and before LeBron would rescue the win with his buzzer-beating layup.

I'm sure there are plenty of good reasons to beat the traffic in Miami on a Wednesday. "Party in the city where the heat is on / All night on the beach 'til the break of dawn." Sure. I get it. I owned "Big Willie Style", too. But that doesn't make this any less funny.

5. LeBron's perfect non-reaction

Buzzer-beating shots in the playoffs are a thing to be celebrated. Unless you're the baddest man on the planet, I guess. When LeBron made the layup to give Miami a Game 1 victory, everyone was going crazy. Everyone expect LeBron.

Look at the reaction in the heat of the moment. Stone-cold.

The wide angle might be even better:

(Credit: Chris Trotman / Getty Images)

LeBron was put on Earth to do this, which is why it impresses everyone except him. You realize he finished with a triple-double last night, right? The man dropped 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and much of the in-game chatter focused on how great a job George was doing defending him.

Only LeBron, man.

More from SB Nation:

• Prada: Would Hibbert have stopped LeBron?

• Video: LeBron's game-winner | GIF: Hibbert shakes his head

• NBA mock draft consensus: Noel to Cavs | SB Nation's Big Board

• Cavs win the Lottery | Complete draft order

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

Roy Hibbert shakes his head at Frank Vogel's coaching decisions

2013-05-23T12:00:03Z

Roy Hibbert was subbed out by Pacers coach Frank Vogel on two critical defensive possessions late in overtime during the Miami Heat's incredible 103-102 victory over Indiana in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.

The first time, LeBron James drove by George Hill to get to the basket for an easy layup that put the Heat ahead, 101-99, with :10 seconds remaining. After Indiana's Paul George was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws, the Heat would have the ball with just two seconds remaining. Again, Vogel subbed out Hibbert for Tyler Hansbrough. Again, James broke to the hole past the Pacers defense for an easy layup.

After the game, Vogel was the target of plenty of criticism for his decision to take out his prized rim protector. Hibbert's reaction on the Pacers' bench summed up what ever NBA fan was trying to say. You know the old saying: a .GIF is worth 1,000 tweets.

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• Flannery: No prize is guaranteed for Cavs

• NBA mock draft consensus: Noel to Cavs | SB Nation's Big Board

• Cavs win the Lottery | Complete draft order

• Mavs could shop 13th pick

• O'Donnell: The mysterious Rudy Gobert

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

Pacers vs. Heat, NBA Playoffs 2013: Pacers battle back to take Game 2

2013-05-23T04:53:13Z

The Indiana Pacers earned a hard fought victory in Game 2 to even the series.

Stylistic dominance will be the storyline in the Eastern Conference Finals duel between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers as the teams battle for the right to play in the NBA Finals. The traditionally-built Pacers will put a lot of stake in big man Roy Hibbert, and the Heat will ride a unique small-ball spread offense that revolves around LeBron James' creativity.

Game 1 of their playoff series in Miami on Wednesday will be an awkward meeting between two teams feeling each other out. Erik Spoelstra and Frank Vogel will tinker with their lineups, work against the opponents' preconceived weaknesses and hope that their strengths coming into the game are still strengths.

Here's what could sway the series opener.

Will small ball work?

While it's mightily apparent Hibbert will be the key ingredient for the Pacers, there's a bit of lacking attention aimed at Chris Bosh and the Miami lineups. Hibbert can't get into foul trouble as a rim-protecting monster and because of the obvious advantage that the Pacers have on the rebounding front. Yet, it's Bosh and the rolling of the dice by Spoelstra that could counter the Indiana big man.

The Heat's small lineup could be equally deadly. Bosh has been quiet this postseason, averaging 13.2 points per game, but he could find himself with many opportunities as a stretch center. Bosh is shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range, though he's been selective in his attempts. His influence on the perimeter could pull Hibbert away from his shotblocking duties, all while giving Miami a consistent and efficient scoring option.

And none of that is to mention the ability for Miami to beat the turnover-prone Pacers in transition.

How does Indiana slow the pace?

The Pacers must find a way to keep the Heat out of transition. As the Heat showed all this season, they can turn grind-it-out games into blowouts with the flip of the switch. First and foremost, turnovers have to be avoided at all costs.

Secondly, the Pacers must balance their affinity to crash the offensive glass with getting back off missed shots. Long two-pointers and threes should lead to immediate retreats by Indiana's backcourt players, and even to an extent those in the frontcourt. The bad news is that the Pacers combine the fourth-most turnovers per game (15.9) of all 16 NBA postseasons attendees with the third-worst shooting percentage (42). Thus, taking good shots will be important as well, and that's not easy to do against a very good Miami defense -- not to mention Indiana's sometimes-lacking offense.

Stopping James from pushing the pace and finishing or finding teammates in transition is hard. Avoiding it altogether is ideal.

Who wins the backcourt battle?

Much of the Pacers' offense will run through Hibbert, Paul George and even David West to a degree. But Indiana must get consistent offensive production from its backcourt on both ends of the floor. George, after all, could be tasked with handling LeBron James, and his offensive game could suffer because of it.

George Hill has shown the ability to shift into a playoff gear, as has Lance Stephenson. For them to take turns and continue to do so will be huge, and defensively it's important they keep lightning-rod point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole from getting hot. If the Pacers can outplay the Miami point guards all while keeping an injury-riddled Dwyane Wade from doing too much damage, they will be in good shape.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: Miami opened as an 8.5-point favorite.

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• Kevin Durant donates $1 million to tornado relief

• Ziller: A lottery conspiracy for every team

• Howard vented to GM about D'Antoni

• O'Donnell: The mysterious Rudy Gobert

• NBA mock draft: We know nothing

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

NBA Playoffs 2013 schedule: LeBron James buzzer beater gives Miami 103-102 win

2013-05-22T22:23:51Z

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was an instant classic. For a second, it looked like Paul George would be the hero. Instead, LeBron James won it at the buzzer, giving Miami a 103-102 overtime victory.

Exactly a year ago, the Miami Heat entered May 22 deadlocked with the Indiana Pacers, 2-2, in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Miami would eventually fend off the upstart Pacers in six games en route to an NBA title, but one year ago was the reason that Indiana finds itself here today.

The Heat host a more mature group of Pacers this year, and the Eastern Conference finals tip Wednesday in Miami at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Danny Granger is sidelined after failing to come back from his knee injury, but his gritty spirit still lives in his teammates. Since last season, Paul George has grown into an All-Star, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson have only gotten better, and the hard-nosed David West and George Hill have brought their usual toughness.

Miami has improved too. Erik Spoelstra's team has only lost four games since the beginning of February, and the pieces placed around LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have melded well together. Ray Allen has been a formidable bench scorer, Norris Cole has come out of his shell during the playoffs and the midseason addition of Chris Andersen has bolstered the Miami frontcourt.

The Heat find themselves vying for their third NBA Finals appearance in a row after cruising past the Bucks in the opening playoff series of 2013. They found some resistance against an overmatched Chicago Bulls team but after a Game 1 loss did enough to down them with four straight wins.

The Pacers could likely find keys to success in the Bulls' defensive strategies, but they will hope that their lack of injuries and a less-lifeless offense can turn into a series win. In this year's playoff run, the Pacers were pushed to six games in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks and again to six in the conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. While winning on the road hasn't been Indiana's strength -- the Pacers are 2-4 on the road during this playoff run -- they appeared plenty capable of beating Miami in Indianapolis during the regular season. They went 2-1 against the Heat.

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds: Miami opened as an 8.5-point favorite.

More from SB Nation:

• Kevin Durant donates $1 million to tornado relief

• Ziller: A lottery conspiracy for every team

• Howard vented to GM about D'Antoni

• O'Donnell: The mysterious Rudy Gobert

• NBA mock draft: We know nothing

• Longform: Basketball and chaos in Europe

NBA Draft 2013: Rudy Gobert and the hazardous intrigues of potential

2013-05-20T18:00:05Z

CHICAGO -- The 2013 NBA Draft combine can be an overwhelming scene if you're the type of person who doesn't normally hang around the very wealthy, tall and powerful people that make up the NBA's elite. Seemingly every organization in the league is represented at Chicago's Attack Athletics on Thursday and Friday as this year's NBA hopefuls go through a variety of drills and testing under the watchful eyes of the people who will determine their draft day fate.

The sights and sounds at the West Side gym are something to behold. Turn left and you'll see Tom Thibodeau and Mike D'Antoni talking shop and laughing about who knows what. Turn right and there's Rick Carlisle and Zydrunas Ilgauskas doing the same thing. Rockets mastermind Daryl Morey is standing in the back staring at his cellphone, while Nuggets GM and reigning Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri chats off to the side with a media member. Scouts are there watching closely or not really watching at all. Media folk from every outlet imaginable are trying to position themselves in the press scrum to ask the draft hopefuls the same four questions everyone is going to ask.

The noise of it all can be a bit funny if you have a certain perspective, though few would question the value of the event itself. The reason all of these rich and highly-recognizable people are hanging out on the West Side of Chicago is clear: they want to find the next diamond in the rough, the next player that fits a specific need and can possibly turn a good team into a great one.

The reason they're all here can be generally summarized in one corner of the gym, where staff workers are placing the device used to measure vertical leap on an elevated riser.

However high the contraption goes, it doesn't reach high enough to capture the wonder of Rudy Gobert. After all, Gobert is measured to have a standing reach of 9'7. They might need to get a second riser.

Those in attendance at the combine are among the first Americans to watch Gobert, a 7'2 center from France, play. Well, "play" might be a bit much; the combine is really nothing more than a high school fitness test mixed in with some light shooting drills. But there's still a reason this gym has turned into such a who's-who, and Gobert is a large part of it, literally and figuratively.

You have never seen anything in your life like Rudy Gobert shooting jump shots. His torso is impossibly long, and when he bends his knees and elbows simultaneously to take a mid-range shot, he most closely resembles a 7-foot praying mantis flinging a ball toward the hoop. His stroke isn't exactly ugly, but it isn't exactly pretty; his shots go in more often than you might expect but still not terribly regularly.

More than anything, watching Gobert shoot while a crowd of famous faces look on gets you to wonder what they're thinking. An old cliche says you can't teach height, and it just might be the most accurate cliche of all. Running on a treadmill won't make you any taller, and this is Gobert's inherent advantage over his competition.

He seems fairly skilled? He seems to be moving pretty well? It's hard to say, really, as with everything at the draft combine when the athletes are facing little resistance to what they're trying to do.

You just can't help but wonder about the general managers watching this. Gobert is hardly the first large French man to have a wingspan of 7'9. Do you remember Alexis Ajinca? The Charlotte Bobcats do. They selected the French center No. 20 in 2008 NBA Draft.

Ajinca would play only 71 games in four seasons in the NBA, posting a career average of 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. The next six picks that followed Ajinca were Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Kosta Koufos, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and George Hill.

It's tough to say if anyone remembers the wingspans of those six players, but it doesn't matter much in 2013. All six are cashing checks and are important parts of NBA rotations. Who knows what Alexis Ajinca is doing, but he certainly isn't in the NBA anymore.

"The strength and the height," Gobert says when asked about the biggest difference between playing in the French league and playing in the NBA. "NBA five men are way taller. In France, [centers are about] 6'9, maybe 7-foot. In the NBA, they're a lot stronger, but also have a lot more height."

Gobert is soft-spoken and polite and looks like he couldn't be happier to be where he is. He knows that so long as he proves he can run and jump without tripping over his own two feet, he'll soon be a multi-millionaire. He speaks English well enough, but it's still a bit hard to understand him at times.

No matter the accent, Gobert is still able to communicate his thoughts clearly. He's been training for seven hours a day in Paris, working on his post moves, his face-up shot and doing heavy strength training. He thinks it's important NBA executives see him at the combine so they know he's more of a man than a myth. He loves watching Pau Gasol play offense and Joakim Noah play defense. He's well aware his role at the next level will be that of a rim protector.

Batum, a fellow Frenchman, has been giving him advice throughout the process, but advice won't change certain things. It won't change that Gobert, at 20 years old, might be the rawest player in the draft. It won't change that Gobert is 7'2 with a 7'9 wingspan and a 9'7 standing reach.

Gobert finishes with a 25-inch standing vertical leap and a 29" running vertical leap, numbers ESPN's Chad Ford calls "not great." After one testing session, Gobert talks about the experience thus far.

"I think there's more pressure," Gobert says, when asked about the difference between American and international players at the combine. "I was one of the top players in the country in France. There's more competition here. You can see it."

General managers can see it, too, but Rudy Gobert has something his American counterparts do not. You can't teach height, and that fact will change Gobert's life forever.

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