After the retainment and addition of several big-name players, the Miami Heat have been described as both pretenders and contenders, but their true legitimacy is directly related to the difficulty of their competition.

The Eastern Conference has become a joke compared to a stacked Western Conference where even winning teams, like the Phoenix Suns, do not even sniff the playoffs. Meanwhile, the mediocre 38-win Brooklyn Nets is able to grab an eighth seed. The East may have been a punch line last year, but the Heat’s potential road to the Finals will not be a cake walk.

Indiana Pacers

The wrong side of a tiebreaker was the lone reason the Indiana Pacers were denied a chance at the playoffs, and since then, they have added talent and gained health. With the signing of Monte Ellis, and the healthiness of Paul George, the Pacers should not be written off.

They did trade Roy Hibbert, but they are transitioning to a more modern team aiming to utilize small ball and efficiency. Hibbert is known for being a top-tier center, but last year, he ranked 37 among all NBA centers in player efficiency rating. Even the Knicks (now Clippers) big man, Cole Aldrich ranked significantly higher.

Obviously, even with these acquisitions, the Pacers are far from competing for a title, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cause trouble for the Heat if they come face to face in a long-winded playoff series.