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The Pacers and Heat play game three Friday, which figures to be a mental builder for the winner. If the Heat win, they gain full momentum in a series that people doubted them off of game one. If the Pacers win, then we all know this series will likely go to seven games.

Game three’s are always pivotal. With the Pacers style of play they need this more. They can ill-afford to go down 2-1, and then 3-1 to Miami.

The curiosity of Paul George’s status will likely lead up to game time.

While most are drilled in on the point spread, I’m going to focus on the total. These two teams have changed very little in their starting lineups over the last two years. That means these rosters will have squared off an amazing, 17 times in two years. Eight games in the regular season, and now nine playoff games.

It’s safe to say both coaching staffs know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the players. Games literally are going to come down to execution, free throw percentage, turnovers, etc.

Stretches of poor shooting are bound to happen, especially with more at stake in game three. In case of overtime, I would bypass playing the total on the complete game. Instead take the under on the first half and cash.

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In the last five to six playoff games the San Antonio Spurs have been an unfazed team. You’d expect that from a team that won the amount of games the Spurs did. Questions lurked though when the team struggled mightily in certain games against the Mavericks. At times their offense was strong their defense folded and vice-versa.

Something changed in game six against the Dallas Mavericks. It appeared the Spurs would close out the series as they held a seven point lead early in the fourth quarter. Instead a flurry of three pointers on horrendous defense of the three point line, had Dallas back in the game in a matter of minutes.

Comebacks at home happen all the time. That wasn’t where I witnessed a team grow. It was how they fought after getting behind by ten points late in the fourth quarter. The game seemed to be over. 90 percent of teams would have folded right at that moment. Instead the Spurs fought until the bitter end like a college basketball team does with relentless fouling. They came up short but somehow had a chance to win at the buzzer.

Since that game the Spurs have matched their defensive intensity with their incredible offense.

Is this form of basketball something the Thunder can match? The Heat or the Pacers?

It sure doesn’t look like it. When the Spurs got down 2-1 to the Mavericks, their odds to win the NBA title went to 5-1. I mentioned that day that there will not be another day in the playoffs of higher odds on the Spurs. Who knows by the time the NBA Finals start they may be the odds on favorite.

Coach Poppovich’s name gets tossed around the media lightly when they talk about the great coaches in sports. It’s time that his team and his players get their dues from the media. Even myself as much as I can’t stand Manu Ginobli and his never ending turnovers, he has a pivotal role. All the roles of the Spurs are manufactured perfectly by Gregg Poppovich.

It just may lead to another championship.

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The answer to the title is no. A year ago the Heat nearly lost in the NBA Finals thanks to hot shooting from unheralded performer, Danny Green. He tailed off considerably in the final games of the Finals. Now the Heat must figure out a way to cool off George Hill. A task that should not be difficult.

This is not to discredit George Hill, it’s to discredit the Indiana Pacers. Indiana has been bashed by the media countless times, only to respond. There wins and responses often get erased the following game with an unsettling performance.

Indiana’s success when they’re winning is from standout defense and opportunistic steaks on offense. The problem with this Pacers team is their defense has not been nearly as consistent as it was earlier this season. Offensively they’re still the same but can go through poorer stretches of scoring.

That’s where I believe the Heat can turn things around and close out the Pacers. Even yesterday’s monster lead by the Pacers was almost erased. Getting to the free throw line was the obvious difference yesterday in addition to the Pacers hot three point shooting.

Look for that to be a detriment to the Pacers offense in game two. They’re not a jump shooting team and they’ll likely come out shooting from three point range once again. That’s what the Heat want.

Indiana will not go 8 for 19 from three point range in any other game this series. When the Pacers aren’t proficient from three point range they turn into a poor college basketball team in half court offense.

The lack of a true point guard hurts the Pacers this deep in the playoffs. Turnovers will start to become a problem and late shot clock attempts. Eventually their defense will cave as has been the case time and time again.

Don’t worry Heat fans. The time for a change is near but not yet.

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As a Syracuse fan their re-rise as a basketball powerhouse has been fantastic to see. There were some struggles after the Gerry McNamara era and Hakim Warrick post 2005 and 2006. Time seemed to be ticking on Jim Boeheim’s coaching career as age and recruiting woes continued. Around 2009 though things began to turn around and since, Syracuse has managed to uplift the basketball program and become a hotbed for top recruits. These top recruits have been able to vacate school early as first round NBA draft picks.

This past season no one truly expected Syracuse to have anyone leave besides graduating seniors CJ Fair and Baye Moussa Keita. Even though Tyler Ennis was on NBA radars his size and decline in the last fifteen games seemed to be a telling sign to come back for another year. His decision to bolt college wasn’t a shock but is a reason why his projections are all over the place. He just did not have a stellar freshman season like some of the freshman that bolted and are projected lottery picks.

Jerami Grant’s decision to leave is purely based on athleticism. Consider some of the recent Syracuse players and maybe Grant’s decision should not be challenged as much. Both Kris Joseph and CJ Fair had higher prospects for the NBA as sophomores than they did by completing four years at Syracuse. As a role player as sophomores all players shined but when they became the focal point as seniors they did not fair as well.

Grant’s upside seems to have peaked in my eyes at the college level. His athleticism is a rarity and he knows his role offensively. Sure scouts are saying that he needs to become a better perimeter shooter, but that’s a commonality amongst power forwards. There aren’t too many that step out from 15 to 20 feet on a regular basis. That’s the job of the small forwards and guards on a team. Grant will excel as a high energy player that can play solid defense and score around the rim. He may need to add an extra 15 pounds to challenge NBA skill men but his role should not vary much from the college to NBA ranks.

Where I worry on draft day is that both Ennis and Grant may slip beyond where they both figured to be drafted. Ennis is an on court performer while Grant is an energy athlete. During combine drills neither is going to be able to showcase these skills. Ennis will likely falter from his non athletic skills compared to other point guards in the draft, and Grant likely will from shooting drills.

Sometimes being at a school that produces NBA talent so quickly can be a detriment. Both Ennis and Grant have seen Dion Waiters, Wes Johnson, Jonny Flynn, and most recently Michael Carter-Williams pursue the NBA route before college graduation. Rumblings on campus and media mock drafts surely caught the attention of both Ennis and Grant. Schools always have that player or two amidst a school run of top tier picks that should have stayed. I believe that both Grant and Ennis may have caught that bug this year.

With Michael Carter Williams winning rookie of the year and Syracuse’s 25-0 start, it may have been a mental combination on both ends. Syracuse had two early season games they could have lost easily against poor teams. One against Cornell and another against St. Francis. A loss against either would have stifled freshman Tyler Ennis and put a red flag to scouts.

But the course of the season occurred the way it did, and now Syracuse will have huge holes in it’s lineup for the first time since 2009. It’ll be sad to see especially if Grant and Ennis are sitting on the pine not developing the next two seasons.

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The way this series has gone, would anyone not expect a seven-game series? Tonight’s game six has the Clippers favored by five points. Many would likely stay away or play the Thunder plus the points. After all most games in this series have came down to the wire.

Those that can’t look past a couple of games are bound to build their own point spread coffins. This Clippers team has the home court edge tonight and offense to peak tonight. In game one at Oklahoma City they dismantled the Thunder.

While the Clippers did lose the last game, they seemed to be the better all around team. While the Thunder are struggling with the continual missed shots from Kevin Durant and Russ Westbrook.

The key stat to look at is how poor Durant has been from the field. He is not shooting at a high percentage and is struggling to find his teammates.

Look for the Clippers to respond in a strong fashion tonight and cover the minus five.

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The eye popping display of dramatic finishes in the NBA playoffs has been fantastic. It truly has the media and the fans living in the moment. In the world of sports what has happened yesterday is old news quickly. The current series between the Thunder and Clippers will be over sooner than later. All the hoopla around the past two games in the series will be ancient memory.

San Antonio has been the old reliable renegade team. Their seven-game series against the Mavericks has faded quickly. The young bucks from Portland had many people thinking upset minded but once again Coach Poppovich and company are proving the naysayers wrong.

An inevitable matchup looms. San Antonio versus who? The Clippers or Thunder. Which team provides the best opportunity for an upset.

Focusing on San Antonio’s keys, they spread the floor, have solid depth, experience, coaching, and great shooters.

From those basic intangibles you’d have to lean to Oklahoma City having the edge over the Clippers. Though the Thunder do cave from time to time with poor stretches, they also rise to the occasion just as much.

They have the interior players to match up with the Spurs. Players such as Nick Collison, Serge Ibaka, old man Kendrick Perkins, and young center Steven Adams. San Antonio will also have fits covering Kevin Durant. More than likely that job will be handed to Leonard. He’ll likely be up for the task but the downside will be on the offensive end.

Leonard has been brilliant with his drives and shooting in the first two rounds. Exerting effort on Durant will surely take away his energy and high field goal percentage.

A matchup versus Oklahoma City would have my money on a seven game series. This matchup could honestly be better than the NBA Finals, where the Heat look as vulnerable as they’ve been in the Lebron/Bosh campaign.

My money would still be on the Spurs to represent the Western Conference at odds of -148. For the Finals at slightly above 2-1 odds, are also favorable.