The two sides of the East Final matchup are the Eastern Conference's first seed, the Pacers, and the second seed, the Miami Heat. In the regular season, these two teams were the only ones in the East to win over 50 games, with the Pacers winning 56 and the Heat 54.
Initially, the Pacers seemed to be aiming for 70 wins, with midseason records comparable to the 99-00 Lakers, 06-07 Mavericks, 05-06 Pistons, and 96-97 Bulls. But during the All-Star break, the Pacers traded Granger for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen.
In terms of trade value, the Pacers struck gold. Turner was the second overall pick in 2010, played all 52 games before the All-Star break this season, averaging 17.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Lavoy Allen, a second-round pick in 2011, served as a backup power forward, averaging 18 minutes with 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game; he could hustle and had some playmaking ability.
