By: Steven Rawnsley

This series will be a dogfight.  The Pacers are a better version of the Chicago Bulls with all of their injuries.  The one thing the Heat struggle with the most is just the Pacers strength, size.

The Pacers have one of the best power forward and center combinations in the league.  At times in the playoffs the Pacers best offense has been a missed shot because of the Roy Hibbert and David West duo.  The Pacers are leading the playoffs in rebounding differential, at a plus 9.8 boards a game.  The team 2^nd in this stat was Golden State at a plus 4.3, and then nobody has more than a +2.

Combined, this combination has shot 47.1% from the field.  The rest of the team has shot 39.7% from the field.  Make no mistake about it.  The Pacers want to go big.  With the starting lineups the Pacers can dictate the matchups.  David West should be able to guard Chris Bosh well, and Haslem is not much of a threat offensively, so Hibbert can help off of him a lot, and clog up the paint like he did against the Knicks.

Paul George has a very similar build to Luol Deng, and PG made the all-NBA defensive 2^nd team, and Deng is known as one of the better defenders against LeBron.  Nobody can shut down LeBron, but PG is the perfect defender to at least make LeBron work for his baskets.

Dwyane Wade has struggled at times in the playoffs.  He is still a great player, but his days of being a superstar are over.  On the other hand, nobody has ever questioned Lance Stephenson’s athletic ability.  DWade might have a very tough time offensively driving against Stephenson, which has always been Wade’s biggest weapon.  The Pacers have the pieces to matchup with Miami’s big three.

However, where the Heat have an advantage is when they Heat go small.  The Ray Allen addition is huge in this series.  Last year the Heat ended games with Battier usually on the floor.  Even in Battier’s prime he wasn’t a guy that dictated matchups.  His game has always been about the doing the small things, or intangibles.  Now, Ray Allen has enough scoring or shooting ability to create matchup problems.

Ray Allen still comes off of a lot of screens.  As stated earlier the Pacers want to go big, so with West and Hibbert on the floor, who does West guard if the Heat have their big three in, along with a PG and Allen?  Can West keep LeBron under control?  Can West stay up with Allen coming off screens?  On the other end, LeBron can guard West in the post.

The series will come down to who can dictate the matchups.  While we have seen the return of the big men in these playoffs, this series is a different story.  The Heat have the most versatile player in the league in LeBron.  He can guard any position, and this is where it becomes huge.  While he can play PF with no matchup problems for the Heat, it creates matchup problems for the Pacers, and that is why the Heat will win the series.

The post Eastern Conference Finals Series Preview appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

By: Steven Rawnsley

If you listened to the telecast of the Celtics/Knicks game in Boston really closely, you could hear the TD Bank arena playing the swan song in the background. The Celtics, will try to become the first team in history to come back from a 3-0 deficit, but this series was probably over in late January when Rondo went down with a torn ACL.

Rondo has been the best player on that team for a few years now, and its not even close. You see it in the first round.

The Celtics are not just getting beat, but they are getting killed. The benches have been cleared at the end of the first three games. They are averaging 75 points per game in the first three games.

Pierce has done a magnificent job of fighting age, but that battle is unwinnable. He cannot create shots for himself anymore.

Kevin Garnett is not any different. He is 7^th all-time in regular season minutes. He is losing the same battle. KG cannot create for himself either. He gets most of his points now on pick and pops with Rondo. You can probably count on one hand the number of times he has gotten that shot in the series. He needs Rondo to set him up.

Now, torn ACL’s are not career ending injuries anymore, but they still alter a lot of careers. Who knows if Rondo will ever be the same. An optimistic prediction is being ready for the season opener with minute restrictions.

What is the best hope for the Celtics next year? Even with Rondo, could they beat New York right now? Let alone the Heat? Then you add another year of age to a very old core, next year, and what? They challenge in the first round, and maybe, just maybe get past the first round if the ball bounces their way, next year.

Their cap situation is very bleak next year either. This current roster makes 73.8 million next year, and the tax threshold is 70.3 million. (The tax threshold goes up about one million per year on average.) The tax penalties get much more severe starting next year. Even if they want to add somebody, for teams paying the taxes the CBA laid out, the most they can offer anybody is 3 million in his first year. You are not adding a great player for that much, unless a player takes a discount from a title contender, like Ray Allen did with the Heat. However, I don’t think players are going to be flocking to Boston after a possible first round exit.

Pierce has a non-guaranteed contract next year. They could wave him and get about 10 million of the 15 million he is owed back. So that can help but, if you waive/trade him, though you go into full rebuild mode.

KG has said he wants to retire as a Celtic. The Celtics could very easily decide to go into full blown rebuild mode. KG is so loyal possibly even to a fault. The Celtics could force him to make a decision. Does he stay with them while they rebuild or end his career somewhere else, or retire?

People are already talking about the 2014 draft, and saying it could be one of the best of all time. If this is true, wouldn’t it be the perfect time for them to have a terrible season to get a great pick? (Maybe, they get lucky in the lottery next year. They deserve it after the Spurs jumped ahead of them in the Tim Duncan lottery.)

The Celtics were hammered in the first three games, but there was some life in game four as they fought off elimination. But, can they win three more in row? The core is on the wrong side of their careers. The new CBA will make it very hard for them to add an impact player. The CBA also makes it much more expensive to pay taxes.

Let’s remember, when they traded to form their big three six years ago, they had a very small window of time, and they have tried to keep it cracked open past few seasons. However, age, and injuries have forced that window to slam shut, and getting destroyed by not even the best team in the east shows it.

The post The Fat Lady is Singing the Celtic’s Swan Song appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

1.  Miami

27 straight wins and counting.  Or as Matt Blue pointed out, that is more wins than 10 NBA teams.

 2.  Spurs

If the Spurs Rockets game was a preview of the first round, then we could be in for one heck of a series between the TX teams.

 3.  Denver

The Heat’s winning streak overshadowed a very impressive 15 game winning streak for the Nuggets that was snapped Monday.

4.  OKC

Their starters have only missed a total of four games this year.  Very underrated part of their uprising, and success.

5.  Clippers

CP3 is playing through knee problems.  However, might be the right decision considering they are only 1 1/2 games back from losing home court.

6.  Memphis

The Grizzlies have been rolling since the Rudy Gay trade.  Why?  Gay was very inefficient. Now Gasol and Randolph are getting more possessions.

7. New York

Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby, and Kenyon Martin are your bigs off the bench?  Is this 2004, or 2013?

8.  Indiana

It really is sad how a team battling for the 2nd seed can have the 5th worst attendance.  They need a deep playoff run to get the city back.

9.  Brooklyn

Can we safely say that the re signings of Humphries and Wallace are busts?  How does Billy King still have a job?

10.  Houston

There seems to be a good shot first round pick Royce White never gets in a Rockets game.  This story has been very weird.

11.  Boston

I can’t help but think about how the slow decline of the Celtics now is similar to the decline of the Bird McHale Parrish Celtics.

12.  Golden State

Andrew Bogut is the only Warrior starter that has played a playoff game.  Can’t help but feel happy for David Lee.

13.  Lakers

Mike D’Antoni might be laughing at them, but whoever they play in the first round if they make it, is not laughing at them.

14.  Atlanta

If Al Horford is not worth a max contract, then neither is Josh Smith.  Flashier than Horford, but Horford is just better.

15.  Chicago

Luol Deng and Joakim Noah are in the top 10 in MPG.  Will they have any gas left for the playoffs?

16.  Dallas

Darren Collison has lost his starting gig for a 2nd strait season.  This year to Mike James?  Ouch.

17.  Milwaukee

I can’t help but wonder why people consider Jennings and Ellis good when they are so inefficient offensively.

18.  Portland

Eric Maynor is giving them a much needed punch off the bench.  A change of scenery might have been the best thing for him.

19.  Washington

IF they resign John Wall, this could be a playoff team.  Wall and Beal could be one of the best backcourts here soon.

20.  Utah

With eight current players probably entering free agency after the season, you have to wonder if that is weighing on their minds.

21.  New Orleans

They snapped Denver’s 15 game winning streak Monday.  If the Heat beat the Bulls, the Hornets will have a chance to break the Heat’s streak Friday.

22.  Philadelphia

Not only did they lose Iggy in the trade for Bynum, but lost Vucevic who averages the 4th most rebounds per game.

23.  Cleveland

With Dion Waiters complaining of knee pain, you have to wonder if he will be shut down here soon.

24.  Toronto

This team is bad, with no cap room, and very little young talent.  They have one of the league’s darkest outlooks.

25.  Phoenix

Their medical staff somehow keeps players healthy.  Could they be in play for Bynum, or Eric Gordon in the offseason?

26.  Detroit

Have they quit on Lawrence Frank?  They only have one win in March.

27.  Sacramento

It is starting to look more and more likely that the Kings will stay in Sacramento.

28.  Minnesota

All good things must come to an end.  Rick Adelman might be the most underrated coach of the 80′s,  90′s and 2000′s.

29.  Charlotte

They took MKG from UK last year in the draft.  Could they take Noel from UK this year in the draft?

30.  Orlando

As careful as we are now with concussions, it will be interesting to see if Vucevic plays another game this season.

The post The RAWNS NBA Power Rankings appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.

By: Steve Rawnsley

Post All-Star Break and post trade deadline edition.  See who’s rising and falling in this week’s Power Rankings!

The post The RAWNS NBA Power Rankings [Week 18] appeared first on The World Champion Crank Up The HEAT.