New Year’s Eve will be the second time this season that the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat will meet on the hardwood. The Pacers were able to get by with an 81-75 victory in mid-November in the first meeting. Roy Hibbert scored 16 points and added 15 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win over the Heat, showing that he is a much better player than how he played down the stretch during the 2013-14 season.
The Pacers have had to count on Hibbert with Paul George suffering a severe leg injury this summer. His horrible injury occurred as part of the United States inter-squad game in preparation for the FIBA World Championships. The loss obviously hurts, but the Pacers might be able to sneak into the post season in the terrible East.
Miami, despite losing LeBron James, will still likely be a playoff team in the East, as well. This matchup makes for a great way to close out 2014 for Pacers fans to see how they compare with a potential playing partner in the Eastern Conference postseason.
It will make for a reasonable evening out before the midnight festivities. Currently, the average ticket price is just $81, according to data gather by Barrystickets. Nonetheless, you won’t have to pay that much as the cheapest tickets to get in the building are a reasonable $9.
How the Heat deal with Roy Hibbert could be the key to this game for the Pacers. As mentioned, Hibbert was huge in the Pacers win earlier in the year and he will look to continue that play on December 31st. The Heat will need Chris Bosh to step up defensively, with the support of some of the other big men on the roster.
If you have some Christmas money to spend or want to make this a gift for someone, this is a reasonably priced game to do it. If the Pacers could win this one it could be helpful if they can get back in the playoff hunt in the East. Miami on the other hand cannot afford another slip up against a team they are expected to beat at this point. Unlike in years past, the Heat without LeBron cannot afford to drop games they are expected to win. It should make for an interesting chess match on the court to close out 2014.
