The NBA is entering the homestretch of the season. The line between the contenders and pretenders is much clearer, but the teams at the top of the Eastern Conference are both slumping!

Both teams need to turn things around but between the two, which one has real issues of concern. NBA.com has its experts analyzing both teams:

"Jeff Caplan, NBA.com: The Pacers most concern me. Why? They can't score. Their offense is painful at times. They play slow and spend a lot of time pounding the rock and often don't get anything decent until late in the shot clock. And hey, I like Paul George, but he's not LeBron or KD, two guys that can torch anybody, anytime at anywhere on the court with the ball in their hands.

Sekou Smith, NBA.com: First is the Pacers. They are the group with the most glaring wild cards (still developing superstars and stars, transition time for newcomers Evan Turner and Andrew Bynum and the most fragile championship construct). They are finding out the hard way just how difficult it is to be a championship-level team from start to finish, something very few teams can handle. The Heat didn't even finish the deal the first time around.

Lang Whitaker, NBA.com All Ball blog: I know they're trying to work in their own new guys (Turner, Bynum), and perhaps we're just seeing a bit of boredom/insolence work its way out of their systems, but as a group that hasn't been to The Finals, to me they're the team of with something to prove. They can't afford to coast.

Iñako Díaz-Guerra, NBA España: We all know that Miami in the regular season is like a clever but lazy student: he's going to be fine when final exams arrive. But the Pacers, well, that's another story because taking the first seed in the East is crucial for them and, perhaps, we underestimated the importance of Danny Granger as a leader of such a young team. They need to wake up soon."

The main factor against the Pacers is their lack of a proven superstar. Paul George looked like it early in the season, but he has tapered off. He needs to prove that he is capable of being consistent. George's teammates feed off him, and if he slumps, it's hard to find another player capable of leading the team (except David West).

The Pacers understand that they need homecourt advantage. Miami will not hand it to them and Indiana just got lucky that the Heat are also failing. Otherwise, they would not be at the top of the East heap.

Despite their recent debacles, these teams are too good for anyone in the East to beat them in a seven game series. The Eastern Conference champion will still be one of these two teams.

The NBA Champion is another debate entirely.