2014 NBA playoffs preview: Miami Heat vs. Brooklyn Nets

No. 2 Miami Heat (54-28) vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets (44-38)

Game 1 in Miami: Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 2 in Miami: Thursday, May 8, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Game 3 in New York: Saturday, May 10, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 4 in New York: Monday, May 12, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5* in Miami: Wednesday, May 14, TNT
Game 6* in New York: Friday, May 16, ESPN
Game 7* in Miami: Sunday, May 18, ABC
* — if necessary

Season series: Nets swept 4-0.

HEAT: Eight reasons they're awesome

NETS: Eight reasons they're awesome

How the Heat got here: Beat No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats 4-0.

How the Nets got here: Beat No. 3 Toronto Raptors 4-3.

Points per game (per 100 possessions): Heat 102.2, Nets 98.5 (Heat 110.9, Nets 106.7).

Points allowed per game (per 100 possessions): Heat 97.4, Nets 99.5 (Heat 105.8, Nets 107.7).

Matchups worth watching: Heat SF LeBron James vs. Nets SF Paul Pierce, Heat SG Dwyane Wade vs. Nets SG Joe Johnson.

Scoring leaders: James (27.1 points a game), Johnson (15.8).

Why Miami will win: The Heat are the defending champions and the higher seed for a reason: They have a great team. James is the best player in the world and showed that in dusting off the Bobcats in four games. He, Wade and Chris Bosh should be the three best players in this series, and they have consecutive titles to prove they know how to close out. Also, the supporting cast has gained confidence with seemingly every game.

Why Brooklyn will win: Their sweep of the Heat in the regular season was no fluke. The Nets were built around the idea of beating the Heat, and Pierce has a long history of getting the better of James. Kevin Garnett appeared re-energized in Game 7 vs. the Raptors and will challenge Bosh, but rookie Mason Plumlee might be an even bigger problem. Any team with as much experience as the Nets have could present problems. It's also worth watching how healthy Wade is for this series.

Did you know? Pierce, the longtime Boston Celtics star, has a 32-28 lifetime record against James, but James has the 13-12 edge in the postseason and hasn't lost a series to Pierce since 2010.

Prediction: Heat in 7.