Tomorrow, the two teams kick off another seven-game series, this time in the Eastern Conference finals. Some of the context is the same. The Heat, now defending champions, are favored again and possess the home-court advantage. The series boasts Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Eric Spoelstra versus Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and Frank Vogel. And like last year, the overblown “war of words” has begun.

But as we would expect, there are differences this time around, too. Here are a few of the main ones:

1. The Danny Granger injury. The Pacers have been so productive without him that’s it’s easy to forget that they’re playing without their best scorer from a year ago. Granger didn’t have a great series against the Heat last year, but he did take up a lot of attention from Lebron James and the Heat, attention that this year will probably go toward the Paul George.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role the Miami Heat’s Ray Allen plays in the NBA Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.

2. The health of Chris Bosh. Last year, as you may recall, the Heat’s center and part of “the big three,” Chris Bosh missed most of the series with an injury. It definitely made things more interesting, but the Heat were able to get enough contributions from elsewhere to get the job done. Unless something changes, Bosh will be healthy this year. Against the Chicago Bulls, Bosh played a lot of minutes, scored in double digits in every game except one, and shot four for eight from three-point range. But that doesn’t mean he can guard Roy Hibbert. The two are very different kinds of players, and it should be interesting to watch.

3. The presence of Ray Allen. A year ago, Allen was preparing to take on the Heat as a member of the Boston Celtics. This time around, he plays for the Heat. Let’s be honest, Allen isn’t what he used to but he can still shoot the rock. He averages double figures in points on 40% shooting from 3-point land. Insert that kind of specialty into a lineup with the likes of James, Wade, and Bosh, and you’ve got all sorts of problems defensively.

4. No more Larry Bird. Last year, the Indiana legend and then-Pacers President of Basketball Operations made headlines by challenging the Pacers toughness late in the series against the Heat. He then departed from the organization after the season’s end. It remains to be seen whether the absence of pressure he created will be good or bad for the team.

5. Numbers-one-through-four on this list could suggest an advantage for the Heat, but the Pacers are better than they were a year ago. Their youth is further along in their development. They’ve showcased that fact at times during the playoffs, especially in dismantling the higher-seeded New York Knicks in six games. George and Lance Stephenson, among others, are much improved. During the regular season, the Pacers beat the Heat two out of three times, largely by dominating in the paint. But obviously these games mean more. Are the Pacers ready for the big-time? We will see soon enough.

Will Pacers’ forward Gerald Green carry his hot hand into the NBA Playoffs?

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Pacers’ Head Coach Frank Vogel chose to rest Roy Hibbert, Paul George, George Hill, and David West for what was the Pacers’ last regular-season game.

Gerald Green took advantage of the newfound limelight by scoring 34 points on ten of 14 shooting in a losing effort. The forward only averages seven points a game. “I just wanted to come into the game with the mindset of being aggressive,” Green said afterwards.

Tyler Hansborough added ten points and nine rebounds.

Pacers’ reserves tried valiantly to come back from an earlier 26-point deficit, but it was too late. According to the Pacers’ official website, it was the sixth straight game the Pacers had faced a deficit of larger than 20 points. They even got out-rebounded, which is unusual for the best rebounding team in the NBA.

While Vogel’s philosophy of resting players to get them ready for the playoffs is obviously not unusual in professional sports, the larger concern turns to momentum and sharpness in the playoffs. Will they be ready to play? They’ve lost five of their last six games with the only win come against a weak Cleveland Cavaliers’ team.

“I think this team has a great deal of potential to make some serious noise in the playoffs,” Vogel has said, but there will be no easy series for his team. If he’s concerned, he’s not showing it.

Last year’s team went into the playoffs losers of two of their last three, including a loss against the 76ers. That team went on to knock out the Orlando Magic in five games before losing to the eventual champions, the Miami Heat, in six games. Of course, that team also had the luxury of Danny Granger, who is still recovering from knee surgery.

This year’s Pacers begin their first-round, seven-game series against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at home, where they went 30-11 during the year.