Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel tried a daring experiement last week and it helped the Indiana Pacers earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Pacers will open playoff action Saturday at 7 p.m. against the No. 8 seeded Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers and Hawks split their four-game series this season.

With four games left in the regular season and the Pacers battling for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, Vogel decided to rest his five starters. With those starters on the bench, the Pacers won 104-102 at Milwaukee.

The Pacers followed that with a disappointing loss Friday at Miami that put Miami into the top seed. Over the weekend, however, Miami lost at Atlanta and the Pacers won a thrilling game over Oklahoma City to get back into the top seed.

The Pacers-Hawks best-of-seven series is:

Game 1 – Sat. April 19, Atlanta at Indiana, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Tue. April 22, Atlanta at Indiana, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Thu. April 24, Indiana at Atlanta, 7 p.m., NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat. April 26, Indiana at Atlanta, 2 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Mon. April 28, Atlanta at Indiana, 8 p.m., NBA TV
Game 6 * Thu. May 1, Indiana at Atlanta, TBD, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 3, Atlanta at Indiana, TBD, TNT
*if necessary