The Indiana Pacers took the road less traveled to reach their first NBA Finals in 25 years.
It's one the Miami Heat would be wise to mimic.
In a league so often dominated by superstars, Indiana has relied on depth, balance, and an egalitarian approach to thrive on basketball's biggest stage. The Pacers technically have stars—Pascal Siakam earned his third All-Star invite this season; Tyrese Haliburton has secured his spot each of the past two—but they don't have the kind of elites who factor into the best-player-on-the-planet debates.
Seeing this type of success from this type of squad should invigorate the Heat. Because regardless of what happens this offseason, they won't suddenly enter next season with one of the Association's brightest collections of stars.
Even if they could swing a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they might decimate their roster in the process. Or if they set their sights on Kevin Durant, they could carry real reservations about whether he'd fare any better with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo than he has with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in Phoenix.
Their best path forward—because Pat Riley almost certainly won't sign off on a step backward—is ditching their annual whale hunt and focusing on what has worked for the Pacers.
Indiana's depth, coaching, and commitment to its playing style are all elements Miami can emulate
When a hoops head conjures up visions of the Pacers, some distinct images come to mind.
There's the team's pedal-to-the-floor offensive approach. There's the seemingly team-wide commitment to ball movement, where good shots are traded for great ones. There's an enviable amount of depth (11 players have tallied triple-digit minutes this postseason). And there's a respected, decorated head coach overseeing it all in Rick Carlisle.
Isn't the same thing sort of true for the Heat? Their approach is different, sure, but it's also clearly defined. Even casual NBA fans are familiar with the phrase "Heat Culture." They are fully committed to their system, just like the Pacers.
Miami shares Indiana's affection for ball movement, too. The Heat's offense has issues, but sharing the rock is seldom one of them. This wasn't a good (or high-volume) attack, but it still quarterbacked the game at a high level. Miami finished the season holding top-10 rankings in assist percentage (58.6, ninth) and passes per game (290.3, eighth), per NBA.com.
As far as coaching goes, Carlisle is among the most respected in the entire profession. When folks set out to rank the league's coaches, though, Erik Spoelstra remains the default answer at No. 1.
If Herro and Adebayo can close the gap on the Haliburton-Siakam combo—admittedly, a major if—then this discussion boils down to Miami's depth. And while it's not the same caliber as Indiana's, maybe it's not as far removed as the teams' respective records would suggest.
The Heat just went nine-deep in their playoff rotation, and that was without Alec Burks (a tried-and-true veteran who just had his best shooting season), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (an All-Rookie first-teamer last season), and Kyle Anderson (a rotation regular for last season's conference-finalist Minnesota Timberwolves).
Winning this way is challenging. Having a go-to option and a high-end co-star makes the entire hierarchy much simpler to set.
Challenging is not impossible, though. Indiana is in the process of proving that, and Miami would be wise to pay close attention to this run.