The Miami Heat are looking to win their third straight NBA championship this season, but will fail.

LeBron James and the Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, with a score of 96-94, nearly sweeping the seven game series 4-1. The Heat will play the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The winner of the Eastern Conference Finals will go on to the Finals and play either the Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder, depending on the winner. The Spurs won their series against the Trailblazers 4-1, and the Thunder won their series 4-2.

The Heat have struggled this season, and a three-peat just might be out of reach. With Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Heat certainly have the talent, as they took the second seed in the East this season, but they certainly were not as dominant as they have been in recent years.

Don’t plan on sleeping on the Spurs. They certainly have a big three of their own, with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili. The Spurs can easily defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lack consistency. The Thunder can play great one game and fall apart the next. The Spurs shouldn’t have a problem.

The Heat, also, have one more series to play. The Heat play the Indiana Pacers, their best players being Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Paul George has had one of the worst postseason statistically of his career, and the number one seeded Pacers struggled against the Washington Wizards.

The Heat should be able to defeat the Pacers and move on to the NBA finals, where they should face the Spurs. The Finals, if between the Spurs and Heat, should go the Spurs way. The West has been a considerably tougher conference this season, where the Atlanta Hawks made the Eastern Conference playoffs with a losing record, the same division that the Heat play. The Heat played in easier competition this season, and it’s very possible that will show when playing the high powered Spurs.

Sources:

espn.go.com, playoffstatus.com