All season-long, Indiana set the #1 seed as their objective. While the Pacers completely dominated the first half of the season, they crumbled after the All-Star break (at the same time that Miami and Oklahoma) letting San Antonio capture the overall seed.
But while the overall top seed slipped through their fingers, keeping their grasp on the #1 Eastern conference seed against Miami was a nail-bitting battle till the last few games of the season.
The following infographics show which team had the best winning percentage throughout the regular season. The line is blue when Indiana has the best percentage, red when Miami had it.
Overall season evolution:
Since the All-Star break:
From a 'Ganes Behind' perspective: