National Sports

The Eastern Conference finals are set with the Miami Heat facing the Indiana Pacers for the right to advance to the NBA Finals. Who will come out on top? SI.com writers Ian Thomsen, Lee Jenkins, Chris Mannix, Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney make their picks.

Check the stats. Miguel Cabrera is back at it after winning the first Triple Crown in 45 seasons. Actually, he's doing even better and may be eyeing more history, says Cliff Corcoran.

The consensus says Indiana is in over its head against Miami, despite winning the season series. It won't be easy, but Rob Mahoney outlines a possible blueprint for a massive upset.

SI.com's Peter King takes a look at which holdouts, rookies and injured stars he'll be watching as OTAs continue.

One year ago the Pacers grabbed homecourt advantage and a 2-1 lead in their Eastern semifinal before LeBron James and Dwyane Wade exploded offensively, winning the next three games for Miami en route to the title. Some things haven't changed: Wade is hurting physically now, as he was last year, and the Pacers will be hoping to exploit their advantage in size. But there are also two crucial differences: Miami enters this rematch with the confidence of a defending champion, while the Pacers' leading scorer of one year ago, All-Star veteran Danny Granger, has been injured and replaced by Paul George, a third-year small forward just finishing his first year as an All-Star.

Staring a 3-0 hole in the eye, the resilient Senators didn't blink, earning a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Penguins and thrusting their way back into the series, says Allan Muir.

Tom Brady is working on something that he believes makes him a better quarterback than ever. That's key for the Patriots, who may need him more than ever, writes Peter King.

Ottawa has new life thanks to Colin Greening. The left winger broke a deadlock with a goal in 2OT to lift the Senators to a 2-1 win over the Penguins and cut their deficit to 2-1.

Complex? Hardly. The Spurs dominated the Grizzlies 105-83 in Game 1 of the West finals using a simple formula, one that Memphis better figure out quickly, explains Ben Golliver.