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CLEVELAND – They climbed the mountain, overcame daunting odds, achieved the improbable.
Yet for all the Miami Heat accomplished in defeating the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in round to become the first 10th place team to make the NBA playoffs, all Erik Spoelstra’s team is faced with is . . . having to do it again.
Another mountain. Even more daunting odds. And improbable bordering on impossible.
Say what you want about the Bulls and Hawks having homecourt advantage against the Heat, but they, too, like the Heat, were teams with losing records, in fact teams that had sold out some of their present for the future with midseason trades (the Bulls shipping out Zach LaVine; the Hawks dealing De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic).
Up next for the Heat is the real deal, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, in a best-of-seven series that opens 7 p.m. Sunday at Rocket Arena (TNT, FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
– At 64-18, Cleveland finished with the league’s No. 1 offensive rating and No.8 defensive rating (compared to the Heat’s No. 21 offensive rating and No. 9 defensive rating).
– The Cavaliers this past season strung together winning streaks of 16, 15 and 12 games,
– Cleveland’s 34-7 home record ranked second only to Oklahoma City’s 35-6.
– The Cavaliers’ 9.5 scoring differential ranked second in the league.
– Cleveland drained 15.9 3-pointers per game, second in the NBA.
– The Cavaliers were the lone team with three All-Stars (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Darius Garland).
So, yes, the Heat aren’t in Chicago or Atlanta anymore.
But they also are in a better place than they were during most of the days that led to a 37-45 regular-season finish, now with victories in 10 of their last 14.
So, well, why not?
“You have to respect what Cleveland has done all year long,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve played probably the most consistent level, them and OKC, all season long. It’s not by accident: They’re well coached. They have great players. They have really good continuity. They play the right way.
“But you have big aspirations to compete for a title.”
Based on where they stand at the moment, basically that they’re still standing, Spoelstra’s players look at it as something other than a 27-win disparity in the standings.
“Obviously Cleveland has been No. 1 in the East all year,” center Bam Adebayo said. “They’ve been having a historical season. So for us, it’s understanding what’s at stake for them. For us, it’s figure out how to get one in Cleveland and worry about everything else later.”
On paper, it is the most lopsided of the eight series opening this weekend.
But on paper, the Heat hardly are a team supposed to even be here.
“The Cavs are obviously a unique team,” forward Haywood Highsmith said. “They’re the number-one team in the East for a reason. So we just got to lock into the gameplan and the details, and go from there.
“I think this group, we fought to get into the playoffs and now that we’re here, we’re not just ready to go out soft or anything like that. We’re going to fight and figure out ways to make this series interesting and get it on our terms.”
The Heat went 2-1 against the Hawks during the regular season and nearly stole a game in Cleveland before a Duncan Robinson last-seconds 3-pointer was ruled to have come after he stepped out of bounds.
Tyler Herro led the Heat at 28 points per game in the season series, with Michell averaging 24 against the Heat.
This is the first playoff series between the teams in the Heat’s 37 seasons, with the Cavaliers having been the lone Eastern Conference team the Heat had yet to face in the postseason.
“It’s going to be a challenge for sure,” Herro said, “but we’re ready for the challenge.”
– With the Heat advancing, Heat President Pat Riley has made the playoffs 43 times in his 52-year career, including six as a player, 21 as a coach and 16 as an executive.
–The Heat enter the playoffs with an all-time 163-132 (.553) postseason record, the third-highest winning percentage in NBA postseason history, behind only the Lakers (.595) and Celtics (.573).
– This sixth consecutive playoff appearance ties for the longest streak in team history. It marks the Heat’s 26th berth in their 37 seasons and 14th in 17 seasons under Spoelstra. The Heat have yet to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons under Spoelstra, the longest such active streak in the NBA.
(best-of-seven)
Game 1: Sunday, Rocket Arena, 7 p.m. (TNT, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 2: Wednesday, Rocket Arena, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 3: April 26, Kaseya Center, 1 p.m. on (TNT, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 4: April 28, Kaseya Center, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 5*: April 30, Rocket Arena, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 6*: May 2, Kaseya Center, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 7*: May 4, Rocket Arena, Time TBA (TV TBA).
(* – if necessary)
Individual game tickets for Round 1 home games for the 2025 White Hot Heat Playoffs at Kaseya Center are now on sale to the general public.
There is an eight-ticket limit per household per game. The team advised that individual game-ticket inventory is limited and expected to sell quickly. Purchases can be made online at HEAT.com and Ticketmaster.com.
Tickets can be purchased for home games 1, 2, and 3 of the first round. Fans who purchase tickets for any unplayed games will be automatically issued a refund by Ticketmaster, including fees (except UPS and retail pickup fees). If fans purchase tickets at a retail location, they can secure a refund by returning tickets for unplayed games at the same retail location where the tickets were originally purchased.
Continue reading...
Yet for all the Miami Heat accomplished in defeating the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks in the play-in round to become the first 10th place team to make the NBA playoffs, all Erik Spoelstra’s team is faced with is . . . having to do it again.
Another mountain. Even more daunting odds. And improbable bordering on impossible.
Say what you want about the Bulls and Hawks having homecourt advantage against the Heat, but they, too, like the Heat, were teams with losing records, in fact teams that had sold out some of their present for the future with midseason trades (the Bulls shipping out Zach LaVine; the Hawks dealing De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic).
Up next for the Heat is the real deal, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, in a best-of-seven series that opens 7 p.m. Sunday at Rocket Arena (TNT, FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
– At 64-18, Cleveland finished with the league’s No. 1 offensive rating and No.8 defensive rating (compared to the Heat’s No. 21 offensive rating and No. 9 defensive rating).
– The Cavaliers this past season strung together winning streaks of 16, 15 and 12 games,
– Cleveland’s 34-7 home record ranked second only to Oklahoma City’s 35-6.
– The Cavaliers’ 9.5 scoring differential ranked second in the league.
– Cleveland drained 15.9 3-pointers per game, second in the NBA.
– The Cavaliers were the lone team with three All-Stars (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Darius Garland).
So, yes, the Heat aren’t in Chicago or Atlanta anymore.
But they also are in a better place than they were during most of the days that led to a 37-45 regular-season finish, now with victories in 10 of their last 14.
So, well, why not?
“You have to respect what Cleveland has done all year long,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve played probably the most consistent level, them and OKC, all season long. It’s not by accident: They’re well coached. They have great players. They have really good continuity. They play the right way.
“But you have big aspirations to compete for a title.”
Based on where they stand at the moment, basically that they’re still standing, Spoelstra’s players look at it as something other than a 27-win disparity in the standings.
“Obviously Cleveland has been No. 1 in the East all year,” center Bam Adebayo said. “They’ve been having a historical season. So for us, it’s understanding what’s at stake for them. For us, it’s figure out how to get one in Cleveland and worry about everything else later.”
On paper, it is the most lopsided of the eight series opening this weekend.
But on paper, the Heat hardly are a team supposed to even be here.
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“The Cavs are obviously a unique team,” forward Haywood Highsmith said. “They’re the number-one team in the East for a reason. So we just got to lock into the gameplan and the details, and go from there.
“I think this group, we fought to get into the playoffs and now that we’re here, we’re not just ready to go out soft or anything like that. We’re going to fight and figure out ways to make this series interesting and get it on our terms.”
The Heat went 2-1 against the Hawks during the regular season and nearly stole a game in Cleveland before a Duncan Robinson last-seconds 3-pointer was ruled to have come after he stepped out of bounds.
Tyler Herro led the Heat at 28 points per game in the season series, with Michell averaging 24 against the Heat.
This is the first playoff series between the teams in the Heat’s 37 seasons, with the Cavaliers having been the lone Eastern Conference team the Heat had yet to face in the postseason.
“It’s going to be a challenge for sure,” Herro said, “but we’re ready for the challenge.”
Worth noting
– With the Heat advancing, Heat President Pat Riley has made the playoffs 43 times in his 52-year career, including six as a player, 21 as a coach and 16 as an executive.
–The Heat enter the playoffs with an all-time 163-132 (.553) postseason record, the third-highest winning percentage in NBA postseason history, behind only the Lakers (.595) and Celtics (.573).
– This sixth consecutive playoff appearance ties for the longest streak in team history. It marks the Heat’s 26th berth in their 37 seasons and 14th in 17 seasons under Spoelstra. The Heat have yet to miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons under Spoelstra, the longest such active streak in the NBA.
Heat vs. Cavaliers
(best-of-seven)
Game 1: Sunday, Rocket Arena, 7 p.m. (TNT, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 2: Wednesday, Rocket Arena, 7:30 p.m. (NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 3: April 26, Kaseya Center, 1 p.m. on (TNT, FanDuel Sports Florida Sun).
Game 4: April 28, Kaseya Center, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 5*: April 30, Rocket Arena, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 6*: May 2, Kaseya Center, Time TBA (TV TBA).
Game 7*: May 4, Rocket Arena, Time TBA (TV TBA).
(* – if necessary)
Ticket information
Individual game tickets for Round 1 home games for the 2025 White Hot Heat Playoffs at Kaseya Center are now on sale to the general public.
There is an eight-ticket limit per household per game. The team advised that individual game-ticket inventory is limited and expected to sell quickly. Purchases can be made online at HEAT.com and Ticketmaster.com.
Tickets can be purchased for home games 1, 2, and 3 of the first round. Fans who purchase tickets for any unplayed games will be automatically issued a refund by Ticketmaster, including fees (except UPS and retail pickup fees). If fans purchase tickets at a retail location, they can secure a refund by returning tickets for unplayed games at the same retail location where the tickets were originally purchased.
Continue reading...
