Well, so much for the Heat losing a series this year.
I must say, I was disappointed by the Pacers letting the opportunity to win game 1 slip, too, but your reaction was not mine.
Looking at the Heat in this game I can't help thinking that with Dwyane Wade playing at about 60% of his previous effectiveness, the Heat are not that scary a team anymore. I'm not sure this Heat team is really that much better than any of those Cavs teams (that, by the way, also won 65+ games in the regular season).
In my mind, you need 4 things to beat the Heat:
1. An elite penetrator at point guard who can score some
2. A wing who is an excellent defender with good size who can also score some
3. A big man who can lock down the paint and also pass / post-up on offense
4. Playoff experience (goes for coaching staff too)
The Spurs have all four of those things. The Grizzlies have 2, maybe 3 of those things. The Pacers are mainly missing #1 and #4 (imagine if you swapped George Hill out for a healthy Rondo -- HUGE difference).
I don't expect the Pacers to beat the Heat, but I still think either of their potential Western Conference opponents have a shot at beating them.
Based on that list, it's worth noting that the Thunder, even at full strength, are missing a key component -- either Ibaka needs to develop a post game so that he can create his own offense down low, or they need to get a center who can score a bit.
