The Eastern Conference playoffs have followed their prescribed path, as the overwhelming choices to reach the conference finals prior to the postseason -- the Pacers and Pistons -- both advanced to play for a shot at the Western Conference champion. While Indiana held a 3-1 advantage in its regular season battles, the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace has now positioned Detroit as the consensus slight favorite going into the series.
The teams are evenly matched across the board, as both rely on a methodical offense and tough defense to win games. While Indiana, who plays consistently excellent at home, may benefit from their home court advantage, both teams play well enough on the road to make that a negligible difference, excepting a possible Game Seven in Indiana.
At the guard position, Detroit's duo of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton clearly stand above the Pacers' shaky Jamaal Tinsley and aging Reggie Miller. For the past few years, opponents have targeted Tinsley's inconsistent play and exposed the point guard position as the clear weak spot for Indiana offensively and defensively. However, Tinsley has been playing better of late, backup Anthony Johnson provides hard-nosed defense, and Miller is still one of the best in the league in coming off screens and draining jumpers.
At center, Detroit's Ben Wallace will be the most imposing defensive force on the floor, though Jeff Foster and Jermaine O'Neal are also excellent interior defenders and rebounders. At small forward, Indiana's Ron Artest will overpower Tayshaun Prince on both ends of floor, making for a clear advantage for the Pacers.
The key matchup comes at the power forward spot, where MVP candidate O'Neal will outplay the hobbled and volatile Rasheed Wallace. Also, Indiana's versatility and depth will trump the solid but unremarkable second line of Detroit.
In what will assuredly be a low scoring and hard-fought series, the deeper and more talented Indiana offense will prove to be the key factor. Detroit only has Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace as proven crunch time scorers. Wallace is not playing at his full ability due to a foot injury, and Artest -- the NBA Defensive Player of the Year -- will clamp down on Hamilton.
In contrast, O'Neal, Artest and Miller are all reliable and effective fourth quarter offensive forces, while Al Harrington and Tinsley have also supplied their share of clutch shots over the course of the playoffs. Indiana's ability to play an inside-outside game in key possessions will allow them to find quality shots even against the staunch Detroit defense.
In the end, the home court advantage and slight advantage in offensive firepower will combine to spur Indiana on to the NBA Finals. The Pacers will defeat the Pistons in a tough seven-game series.
