After 82 chaotic regular season games, the Miami Heat will be in the play-in game for the second consecutive year!
The Heat have officially clinched the No. 8 seed and will face the 7-seeded Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST. The winner will play No. 2 New York Knicks, while the loser faces the winner between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks Friday at home. The winner of that game will square off against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
Here is the expected format of the play-in schedule, per a league release sent out Saturday.
Miami took care of business Sunday, which you can read more about here from Brandon. In order to avoid the No. 8 seed, the Heat needed to win Sunday with at least one of the Milwaukee Bucks or Brooklyn Nets to win over the Orlando Magic and 76ers, respectively. That did not happen, as Orlando and Philadelphia combined to win by 46 points.
Miami could’ve also benefitted from the Hawks beating the Indiana Pacers if one of Orlando or Philadelphia lost; Indiana cruised to a 42-point–157-115–win over Atlanta.
Thus, none of the outcomes Miami desired (outside of its own game) occurred.
Here is the official seeding in the East:
- Boston Celtics
- New York Knicks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Miami Heat
- Chicago Bulls
- Atlanta Hawks
Only four games in the loss column separated the Heat and Knicks; three separated between Miami and Milwaukee; two separated Miami and Cleveland; one separated between Miami plus Orlando, Indiana and Philadelphia. Brutal.
Hindsight is 20-20, but its gut-wrenching, unfortunate losses to Brooklyn, New York, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Washington, Indiana and Philadelphia, among others, all loom large. That perplexing seven-game losing streak too.
Speaking of Philadelphia, the Heat split their season series 2-2 against Philadelphia, though they lost its two most recent meetings on March 18 and April 4 by seven and four points, respectively, after commanding second-half leads in both. They are a combined 14-10 against Philadelphia in the Jimmy Butler era, including an 11-6 record when Butler, Bam Adebayo and Joel Embiid are all active.
What are your initial thoughts on the play-in matchup(s)? Let us know in the comments!
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dame unhappy in milw
He and his fat contract can whistle Dixie
My heart bleeds. Overpaid one-way player. Maybe Portland will take him back.
Nice article on Jaquez and Jovic.
https://allucanheat.com/posts/miami-heat-jaime-jaquez-nikola-jovic-untouchable-future?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
What are the final stats of Jaime Jáquez Jr.’s first season in the NBA?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/what-are-the-final-stats-of-jaime-j%C3%A1quez-jr-s-first-season-in-the-nba/ar-BB1lH0zR?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6ecfb13570994f6ba096d5537c13b4bf&ei=15
It’s been a long, hard, schizophrenic season. It’s been the best of times and the worst of times.
There have been several bright spots. The team traded for a legit point guard in Rozier, drafted a good rotation player in Jaquez, continued developing their young 2023 draft pick, Jovic and brought in playable reserves such as JRich, Bryant and Wright. In addition, veterans such as Duncan, Caleb and Love continued contributing off the bench and as starters, as needed. Meanwhile, Bam, Butler and Herro have continued providing steady, if not always exceptional, performances when they were available.
The reality however, is that this version of the Miami Heat is not all that good. The team has a top five defense and a bottom five (26th ranked) offense. Only the bottom dwelling Pistons, Hornets, Blazers and Grizzlies have worse offenses. The team is also 26th in rebounding, dead last in blocks and 22nd in field goal percentage.
It seems the solution to the team’s offensive and rebounding problems could be mitigated by the addition of very good two-way frontcourt player who can score, rebound and play defense. Discussion about who that player might be and all other potential personnel moves can be put off until after the season has concluded.
As for now, I’m excited to see if the core starters, Bam, Butler, Herro and Rozier can play together and mesh during the play-in round and playoffs. I’m also interested in seeing how Jovic and Jaquez handle their first real playoff tests. Finally, I’m eager to see how our rotational veterans (Duncan, Love, Martin, Highsmith) and newer reserves (Wright, Bryant and Mills) perform, when given the opportunity.
If the guys can get their individual and team games together (starting with the stifling Heat defense and three point shooting) they can again do serious damage in the playoffs, regardless who they play. If they can’t get their games together, it will be a quick exit and a soul searching offseason with many changes on the horizon. Either way, It’s time to put the past behind us and root for our team as it prepares to go into battle. From here on in it’s one game at a time and may the best team win.
GO HEAT!!!
last paragraph u can say that about any team.stifling d w/o dunc and ty they have.3 pt shooting been avg.max strus hot games are in cleve,duncs 3pt shooting avg
No, you can’t say that about any team. Some teams are obviously worse defensively than others. And Strus is hot, Duncan not? Right. Take 10 seconds to look stats up. Strus is at 35.1% 3p%, Duncan 39.5%. If Duncan is average, Strus (and many many other players) is a bum.
Ei who’s got some ice? Someone just got burned lol. Well, ice makes it worse actually but you know 😜
strus got us in the playoffs last year .hes very streaky when hes hot he canwin u a game.whens the last time dunc had a 7 for 10 game max gets u some of those not to often but hes very streaky.with duncs d i consider him a below avg player.he needs to be around 45 on his 3s.but he always lets in more pts than scores pls watch the games a little closer rc
Cmon, you’re the one who always talks about shooting percentage. 35% vs 39.5%? No contest. This ain’t last year.
Strus sucked in the playoffs last year. 9.3ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.4apg, 31.9 3pt%
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/max-strus-2023-playoff-stats
Not every team has a top 5 defense. Miami started the season as one of the better 3pt shooting teams. If Herro and Duncan are healthy, they could get hot again.
Strus…….32mpg, 12.2 ppg and 35.1 3pt%
Duncan…28mpg, 12.9 ppg and 39.5 3pt%
Herro has been out for all but a couple of Rozier’s games. They haven’t had a chance to start together and gel as a backcourt, together with Bam and Butler. Who knows, they may work out great. Definitely better than Vincent and Strus, Jus sayin…
yes ty n terry better than gv and max.i really would like to see delon on maxey neither ty or terry can handle maxey
I’m sure he will get his chance. If he can handle Maxey, make a few 3’s and dish out a few assists, he could bump Herro or Dozier to second unit to feast on inferior second unit defenses. I would like to see use of Wright and Highsmith in full court press mode against 76er guards in spots, in order to wear them out and slow down their offense.
As the Heat head into the play-in, I realize this may be the end of an era.
I’m not saying definitely. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if Pat trades Jimmy this offseason, and decides to build around Bam, Herro, Jovic, and Jamie. I don’t think Pat believes in ‘rebuilding’ by the Sixers style. But I think Pat knows when the game is over and it’s time to move on to the next one. This is a play-in team with our without Jimmy Butler.
If that is the case, this might be our last chance at a Jimmy Butler playoff run. Let’s not forget this is his 5th season on the Heat, and he’s taken this team to the Conference Finals 3 times and the NBA Finals 2 times. That puts him top-5 Heat player all-time in my book.
So I don’t care what happens between now and the end of the season. I’m going full homer and rooting for the Heat until the clock strikes zero. No more trade talk until the season is over.
THE HEAT ARE GOING TO WIN IT ALL!
In my humble opinion, this is one of the best posts you have written. I agree with every word. It’s been a fantastic run with Jimmy. May he take us to unexpected heights again.
Bout30man beat me to it. This is an excellent comment!
2 days w/out Heat bb. Good for resting old and tired legs. League should change the rules if #7-8 is up 5 games from #9-10 should be an automatic playoff spot.
But i really hope its just 1 game for Heat this play-in. Tall order but possible. Go Heat!!
f the play in just fkn dum 1-8teams thats it.prob only 4 should make it from each conf.make every reg season game mean something so jimmy doesnt miss 1/4 season due to vacation time
I have some mixed feelings about the play in format, but it does serve a purpose. It reduces teams from tanking on purpose if they believe that they can just get to the 10th seed and have a chance to get into the playoffs. Golden State would not have been in the playoffs under normal circumstances, and the Lakers just avoided being in the ninth spot until recently.
20 teams in 2/3 of league to many rc.
Of course it ends up being 16, still more than 50%. But if only 4 teams from each conference, you’d have 70% of the league (22 teams) jockeying for position in the draft every year. Imo, it would be very bad for the league.
Houston 41-41 got screwed and Atlanta (36-46) and Chicago (39-43) got in.
when pat saw how small bam looked to joker and their forwards dwarfed ours it was time to get bigger that was not done.terry was a nice pick up but he can not play with ty.next year they need to move bam to pf and get a legit center.that prob should have been done this year.im hoping jimmy was saving himself for the playoffs .cant wait to find out this wednesday .playoff jimmy has hops 23-24 reg season jimmy had dead legs
dont mean to sound negative, but we’ll probably lose to philly, then lose to bulls all the way to our early vacation
Or beat Philly (again), then beat the Knicks (again) on our way to the second-round (again)
I would love to beat Philly, but I’m not expecting it. It’s going to be an intense game. I hope they take it seriously from the jump.
I’m 60/40 Heat for that 7th place. Specially when you join us that game thread it goes 80/20 haha! Sixers fans afraid Heat might “injure” their players. Also NY. Celts simply afraid coz you know Heat is rent free in their heads lol
I actually like our chances against Philly, besides we play better on the road anyways haha.
Considering the misguided and poorly informed decisions that got the Heat into a familiar but undesirable 8th seed, if the Heat survive the play in tournament, this season will be declared a success story. The best I expect from this team is getting to the 2nd round of the play off.
This is coming from one of the most optimistic Heat fans.
Go Heat, Go!
I believe the Heat find themselves in this undesirable 8th seed, or possibly 7th seed, due to Butler not seeming especially interested in the regular season, and the over abundance of injuries to key players. I am not sure what is meant by misguided and poorly informed decisions and would like to know specifically what is meant by that (personnel or lineups?).
The Heat is 10 games over 500, which is their biggest margin in the entire season. This season, the final record is 46-36, which is 4 games better than last season’s record of 44-38. As others have mentioned, some of the teams above have improved their roster more than we improved ours (Celtics, Knicks, Orlando, Cavaliers).
I also believe the Heat MIGHT make it to the second round and changes will be needed in the offseason. Of course, I’d love to be wrong about this.
Maybe pertains to Pat and Spo misguided in their decisions? We can only guess what’s going on in those big bb brains of those two. I’d be happy if Heat reach the second rd. Elated to return to ecf. Go nucluer if another finals appearance. Hehe
I guess we won’t know until we know, lol
I’m expecting the Heat to win the East again. Winning the Finals depends on the matchup
High expectations I like it. Keep the hope up. Last season my expectation was just to land in playoffs and get to the second rd. But after Heat got the 8th spot I was gonna be happy just to take Milw to 7 games. Lo and behold the “flukey run” happened
Per FanSided
NBA Playoffs: Predictions for the Play-In Tournament
No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 8 Miami HeatPrediction: 76ers win
No. 8 Miami Heat vs. No. 9 Chicago BullsPrediction: Heat win
NBA Playoffs: Predicting first round seriesNo. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Miami HeatThe Celtics are an unbeatable buzzsaw, equipped with schematic versatility unmatched in the current NBA ecosystem. Boston has the ability to win different ways and play different styles. Joe Mazzulla has smartly used the Celtics’ final weeks of virtually meaningless basketball to experiment with different looks and test his players in uncomfortable situations. The proof should be in the pudding this postseason.
Of course, a look below the hood unveils some lingering concerns. Miami beat the Celtics last season in seven games after jumping out to an impressive 3-0 lead. Boston still has the tendency to stall late in games, when decision-making gets dicey between its stars.
That shouldn’t matter in this series, though. It’s hard to imagine the Heat actually replicating last postseason’s success, no matter how much confidence Jimmy Butler projects. Expect Boston to jump all over Miami. The Celtics have something to prove.
Prediction: Celtics in 4
Slow clap for that Celtics in 4 😁
Again…the east is Celts to lose Heat only got their pride as the bb world has already “crowned” Boston as east champs.
I will give the ‘no clap’ if Boston wins.
I’ve heard the Heat only have a 3% chance of winning against the Celtics
Everything seems out of chronological order here – glitch? Or new format? I hope it’s the former.
Heat are underdogs vs 76ers. What else is new? If healthy, they have a shot.
”If Herro can knock down enough jumpers and force Philadelphia’s defense to react, it would create more space for Butler and Adebayo in the paint. The Heat managed to limit the 76ers to 109 points in the last meeting. If they can hold them to something similar and get more production from Butler and Herro, then they’ll have a chance to steal a game on the road and book a series with the Knicks.”
https://allucanheat.com/posts/heat-sixers-play-in-preview-key-matchups-questions-and-x-factors?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
A lot riding on the play in game vs. Philly. Get the seventh seed and the beatable Knicks await. For the loser, a much steeper challenge ensues. I don’t know how we can expect to get past a healthy Sixer team. But, we must, somehow….Go Heat!
Jaime Jaquez was one of only six rookies to average double figure scoring (11.9). Of the top six, only Chet Holmgrem (OKC) and Jaquez played on winning teams and only Holmgren had a higher field goal percentage than Jaime. Based on his overall performance, it appears Jaime should be selected to the first or second All-Rookie Team.
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/nba-rookie-scoring-leaders-2023-2024
One more game. This is just my wish…
I dnt want them to lose vs NY if Heat get that 7th. I’m good losing to Celts but not a sweep. Obviously that’s a loser’s mentality but I’m just tired from all the roller coaster of emotions caused by this Jekyll and Hyde team. As if we’re not yet used to it lol. Well we just want to win. One more ride folks. LET’S GO HEAT!
I think the Heat can beat the Knicks in 7-games. Bring it on.
That said, I want no part of the Celtics. I’ve spent many playoffs on the Celtics blog trash talking those dummies. But I wouldn’t do it even if the Heat win game-1. Maybe in the ECF. But this team is not ready for the Celtics in round-1.
HEAT PLAYOFF ROTATION
If Rozier, Robinson and Love are not available for Wednesday’s play-in game, Wright, Jaquez and Bryant may have bigger roles. Fortunately, all three looked good vs Toronto on Sunday and could be called on to provide big minutes against the 76ers. I noticed Tobias Harris was back in the line-up for 76ers today. If Embiid is good to go, they will be hard to beat. Nonetheless, if Heat are at full strength and “Playoff Jimmy” is in the building, they will have a chance.
GO HEAT!!!
P.S. It looks like Jaquez got his “Mojo” back (creating his own shots, assists, rebounds and defense). Just in time for the playoffs.
Triple J will be tested vs a tougher, more talented team in sixers. Hope he plays well of course. Terry will play I think. That will be an exciting game and lets win it 😎
If Playoff-Jimmy shows up, I’m feeling confident. Without him, not so much