NBA Playoffs Bracket & Standings 2014: Pacers Beat Heat for East Top Spot; Miami Falls to No. 2

The Indiana Pacers achieved their main goal in the 2013-2014 NBA regular season by garnering the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference, after the Miami Heat lost to the Washington Wizards 114-93 on April 14, 2014.

Before Heat's loss, the Pacers only led by one-half game. They needed one final win or Miami losing one of their last two games in the season to secure the top position, according to Bleacher Report. 

In the final weeks of the NBA regular season, Indiana seemed to have lost its momentum, only managing a 6-8 record since the All-Star Weekend in February. However, after given a much-needed recovery period of about four days, the starting five are back in their best condition in time for the playoffs. The Pacers' win against the Milwaukee Bucks without their starting five further boosted their confidence and the team managed to pull things together to end up in No. 1 as planned. They also won against OKC, showing that the extra rest days had its last period benefits. 

The Miami Heat struggled against the Washington Wizards without Lebron James and Chris Bosh. The Heat said that they were not disappointed with being No. 2. Dwyane Wade said that they look forward to the playoffs and expect to be fresh and in top condition. He needed to play more to return to his optimum condition after recovering from a hamstring injury. 

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat coach, seemed to realize the value of sitting out the team's top players to prepare for the playoffs, the move that Indiana made when it ordered Paul George, Roy Hibbert and David West to skip the Bucks game to fully recover from bumps and bruises. James and Bosh sat in the sidelines, while Wade used the game to warm up, in a report by USA Today. 

In a CBS Sports report, the Pacers will face the Atlanta Hawks, No. 8 seed. Heat will be facing off against either the Charlotte Bobcats or Washington Wizards.