(AP) - A look at the two Eastern Conference semifinal series (with regular-season and playoff records):
No. 2 MIAMI HEAT (46-20, 4-1) vs. No. 3 INDIANA PACERS (42-24, 4-1)
Season series: Heat, 3-1. Dwyane Wade averaged 22.7 points, hitting a jumper with 0.1 seconds left in overtime for one victory, and the Heat didn't miss him in the game he sat out with a foot injury. Miami won that one 118-83 on Jan. 4 and then routed the Pacers 105-90 about a month later, opening halftime leads of 62-39 and 68-39 in the two games. The Pacers blew a late lead in Miami on March 10 in their 93-91 overtime loss and finally broke through on March 26 with a 105-90 victory.
Story line: Miami is the overwhelming favorite to reach the finals out of the East, though Indiana doesn't feel like or talk like an underdog. The Pacers have some advantages, with All-Star Roy Hibbert at center, a solid point guard duo and a quality bench, so the Heat should have a tougher time in this series than they did in the early season matchups.
Key Matchup I: LeBron James vs. Danny Granger. James averaged 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists against Indiana and figures to put up big offensive numbers, but his defense against the Pacers' leading scorer is just as important. Granger shot only 34 percent and scored just 13.3 points per game against Miami, though those numbers were skewed a bit by him managing just three points in 12 minutes before leaving with a sprained ankle in the Pacers' Feb. 14 loss.
Key Matchup II: Chris Bosh vs. David West. West had double-doubles in the two games that were competitive after doing little in Miami's two blowout wins, and his postseason experience will be a key for a Pacers team that doesn't have much of it. Bosh managed to average 15 points and shoot 51 percent in the first round against New York despite a couple of extra trips back to Miami after the birth of his son, and should be much sharper now in a regular routine.
X-Factor: Leandro Barbosa. With 14 points, outscored Miami's bench by himself in the lone game he played for Indiana against the Heat after his February acquisition. If he can come in and change the pace with his speed, it could hinder the Heat's ability to use their effective bigger lineup.
Prediction: Heat in 5.
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No. 4 BOSTON CELTICS (39-27, 4-2) vs. No. 8 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (35-31, 4-2)
Season series: 76ers, 2-1. Philadelphia easily won a pair of home games in March, a 103-71 victory on March 7 and a 99-86 win on March 23 in a game that featured a scary head injury sustained by the Celtics' Mickael Pietrus. Boston took the finale in a 103-79 home rout on April 8. Ray Allen scored 10 points in that game, but sat out one loss and missed all five shot attempts in the other.
Story line: Taking advantage of an injury-depleted opponent, the 76ers beat Chicago to become the fifth No. 8 seed to win an NBA playoff series and set up the renewal of an old East rivalry with the Celtics. Another Philadelphia victory now perhaps signals the end of Boston's Big Three, which is intent on at least one more lengthy playoff run first, and looked capable behind Kevin Garnett's terrific play in the first round.
Key matchup I: Paul Pierce vs. Andre Iguodala. Iguodala hit the winning free throws in Game 6 to send the 76ers to the second round and was in double figures in all three games against Boston during the regular season. The All-Star forward draws his usual tough defensive assignment now in Pierce, who led the Celtics with 21.2 points per game in the first round despite not shooting well and being bothered by some knee pain.
Key matchup II: Rajon Rondo vs. Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams. The 76ers' point guard duo combined for 31 points per game in the first round, with starter Holiday scoring at least 14 in every game. The dynamic Rondo averaged 16.8 points and 11.8 assists in the first round, shooting more than usual. He wasn't a scorer against the 76ers during the season, managing just 6.0 points per game, but the Celtics might need more now as Allen continues trying to find his shot following a late-season ankle injury.
X-factor: Spencer Hawes. Philadelphia's center averaged 15.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in the last four games after having a total of seven points and seven boards in the first two games of the series against Chicago. But it will be difficult to be that effective against Garnett, who can defend him inside and has an athleticism advantage on the perimeter.
Prediction: Celtics in 7.
