NBA Playoffs 2014: Indiana Pacers, OKC Thunder Face Elimination! Pre-Season Favorites In Danger! Will Their Coaches Get Fired If They Lose?

The NBA Playoffs tagline is "Win or Go Home!' Two teams which were heavy favorites at the start of the season face that prospect: Indiana Pacers and OKC Thunder.

The Indiana Pacers were one game away from beating the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The OKC Thunder had an abrupt end to their playoff run when Russell Westbrook got injured.

Both teams had reason for optimism this season: the Pacers, led by young breakout star Paul George, had much-improved confidence, chemistry and now they had playoff experience. The Thunder had Westbrook back and their players became more resilient, specifically Reggie Jackson who stepped up in Westbrook's absence.

Both teams were at the summit of the NBA standings at one time or another, but they had their slumps. They stumbled at the start of the playoffs and now face elimination. A sad reality in the NBA-wherever the team goes, the coach also goes. Kevin Durant will still be the MVP and OKC's franchise player even if they lose tonight-but it's unlikely that Scott Brooks would still be the coach. The same goes for Indiana-just substitute Paul George for KD and Frank Vogel for Brooks.

But is that a fair assessment? ESPN's experts weigh in:

"Scott Brooks should be blamed for OKC Thunder's elimination.

Ethan Strauss: Fact. The offense looks ad hoc, which might have worked well back when his players were too young to succeed with complicated sets. They're older now, and the Grizzlies are disrupting a team with no Plan B. That's on Brooks.

Jared Wade: Fiction. This team has been too successful for far too long to claim that the limitations of Scott Brooks' offense are the cause of the downfall. While the late-game play calling and the general lack of offensive creativity remains troubling, the core of this team has been living and thriving under this system for years. If they can't do the same now and outscore the impotent Grizzlies offense, that is the fault of the players."

Contrasting opinions- Brooks was totally outcoached by rookie coach David Joerger, but they were able to make the defensive adjustments because of the dismal outside shooting of the players. It's a tough call.

"Frank Vogel should be blamed for the Indiana Pacers' elimination.

Strauss: Fiction. Should he be punished for this roster looking better at the beginning of the season?

Wade: Fact. Virtually nobody is blameless for the regular-season tailspin; Ian Mahinmi and C.J. Watson are the closest. But the reason the Hawks are outplaying the Pacers has more to do with matchups and tactical basketball adjustments. Vogel has either refused to make any or chosen the wrong ones. If he can't figure out how to use the versatile skill sets available on his bench to beat a team of limited players who rely on 3-pointers, that's almost entirely on him."

It's not Frank Vogel's fault that Roy Hibbert has totally shrunk in this series, but the Atlanta Hawks are also missing their best player. Vogel could have made adjustments. The disparity between the Pacers and the Hawks is just wider than OKC-Memphis. Vogel is more to blame with the Pacers than Brooks is to OKC.

Vogel's best player, Paul George is playing up to par while Kevin Durant is struggling. That means Vogel has more of an advantage than Brooks has.

Should they fire both of them? It depends. Can they find someone better? A lot of teams like the LA Lakers and New York Knicks are also looking for coaches, and we suspect they have deeper pockets than these two teams. Brooks and Vogel are not at all bad coaches, and the players respect them for leading them this far.