The Heat are certainly in better position to advance to the NBA Finals than they were 24 hours ago, but they aren't out of the woods yet, with a Game 7 looming. Given the high expectations in Miami, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) polled 27 NBA executives on 20 clubs on whether they'd fire Erik Spoelstra if the Heat lose the series to the Celtics — 17 said no, while 10 said yes. While we await tomorrow's winner-take-all matchup and prepare for a night without NBA action, let's check in on some other updates from around the Association….
Kevin Garnett reminded the world on Tuesday night that a 36-year-old player can still be a game-changer as the man known as The Big Ticket put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-90 victory over the Heat. The Celtics, deemed underdogs by perhaps even their own mothers, have willed themselves to come within one victory of beating the Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging a double-double in the series as he's scoring 31.8 PPG and grabbing 10.0 RPG against Boston. The Heat, losers of three in a row, face a win-or-g0-home game in Boston on Thursday with a Game 7 in Miami looming. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Eastern Conference Finals…
Let's go coast to coast to catch up on the latest news and headlines before King James and the Heat look to make it a series against Indiana…
- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has been using whatever time off his team is afforded to allow them to rest and get healthier, reports the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
- ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst says Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra needs to make adjustments to his strategy if Miami wants to have any chance of winning against the Pacers.
- Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have matured and proven that they can co-exist in Oklahoma City, writes Sam Amick of SI.com.
- Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes the Thunder look like a team with legitimate title aspirations thanks to strong play by Durant and Westbrook.
- The Spurs relied on heavily-efficient play to overcome a 24-point deficit to the Clippers on Saturday, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com.
- Tom Ziller of SB Nation says the Lakers should trade Andrew Bynum so that the 24-year-old center's talents don't go to waste in Los Angeles.
- Gregg Popovich's decision to sit Tim Duncan during the 2000 NBA playoffs proved to be the right decision 12 years later, contends J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com believes the Celtics need to find a better balance in terms of getting Kevin Garnett more involved in the game on Monday evening against the Sixers.
There's more on the line for the Heat today than simply evening the series or falling 3-1 to the Pacers. For LeBron James and friends, a victory would serve to erase much of the doubt surrounding the star-crossed franchise while a loss would further fuel speculation of a break-up upon the season's completion. Let's check up on the latest Miami news and headlines before this afternoon's action gets underway.
- CBSSports.com's Ben Golliver says the Heat would be taking two giant steps backward if they can't advance past the conference semifinals with the blame falling squarely on Erik Spoelstra's shoulders. One of the many issues surrounding the team is their inability to make a shot unless their name is LeBron. Look for Spoelstra to come up with a different starting lineup with hopes of shaking things up in the Heat's favor against the Pacers.
- Roy Hibbert's emergence as a dominating presence in the playoffs has been a major reason why the Pacers have excelled aside from taking advantage of Chris Bosh's absence, writes Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. The former Georgetown star has 44 points, 40 rebounds and nine blocks through three games against the Heat. With his strong performance during the playoffs coming on the heels of a breakout regular season, the restricted free agent should expect a long-term contract this offseason.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel believes it would be unfair to place a Heat collapse on Dwyane Wade even with his struggles as the team has collectively failed to make adjustments throughout the series. It's not too late for the Heat, but the team needs to right the ship on Sunday afternoon if they want to have any semblance of a chance to win the series. If the Heat lose the series to the Pacers, look for a long summer ahead in which all options sans moving James are on the table.