In a stunning turn of events, the Miami Heat have turned a disaster 2024-25 season into a playoff appearance in dramatic fashion. They have officially punched their ticket into the postseason and eliminated the Atlanta Hawks Friday evening.
It took some overtime basketball in order to get the job done, but Miami pulled away with the 123-114 victory. Strong efforts from Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu weren’t enough to withstand the Heat on their home floor.
Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell each took the game over with huge clutch plays down the stretch for Miami. Mitchell made a name for himself on a nationally televised stage, providing his usual elite defensive efforts to go along with his 16 points off the bench.
The Heat were in control for most of the game, until a fourth quarter collapse saw the Hawks take their first lead of the night. It seemed to be yet another blown lead resulting in a loss that Miami allowed to slip through their fingers.
Instead, their resiliency responded and they never let go of the rope.
The Miami Heat become the first 10th seed in NBA history to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Miami shot an efficient 50% from the field as a team and 38% from 3-point range. Atlanta went 43% overall and 34% from deep. Additionally, the Heat won the rebounding battle 54-44.
Unlike Herro’s 38-point explosion against the Chicago Bulls in the first play-in victory, this one was a full team effort. Kel’el Ware made his presence known as a rim protector and lob threat, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Haywood Highsmith contributed a 12 and 10 double-double off the bench. Even Kyle Anderson added a pair of much needed 3-pointers to calm down Atlanta’s momentum heading into the final period.
Not only are the Heat the first 10th seed of all-time to reach the postseason, but it will be the first Miami/Cleveland Cavaliers playoff matchup ever. During the regular season, the Cavs had the 2-1 advantage, but even their two wins were hard fought games.
If there is anything that Spoelstra ran teams have proven over the years, it is to never doubt the Heat.
They will fight and battle to the bitter end— just like their play-in path has shown.
The top seed Cavs will be looking to handle business with home-court advantage, as game one of the first round series is set to take place on Easter Sunday at 7:00 PM EST.
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So guys, Still want to get Kuzma?
I feel like he regress more under Doc Rivers. 0 stat line in 21 minutes. DAMN!!!!
Were desperate at the time but have since snapped out of it.
harden having a good playoff game am i in a dream ?
Westbrook!
msn.com rated 50 most impactful players in playoffs bam 34 herro 43.donovan was like 5 quitter 16.sga 1 tatum 2 joker 3 luka 4
I think the playin game were fun, but folks should cool it with expectations.
During their 6 game winning streak, they played 2 teams with winning records. The Warriors and Celtics. If you extend it out to the stretch they are in where they are 10-4 it’s still just 2 teams with winning records.
Even with the Celtics and Warriors in the mix, the average record of the teams they’ve won against is 33-49 roughly.
So while I enjoyed the two wins, I fully suspect it’ll be a similar result to last years first round and, when a team is picking 11th and it’s not Miami and Miami has only one late first rounder, we may regret that fun with against the Hawks.
But Spo can talk about making the playoffs again…
Yes, you are right for sure, definitely would be an enormous upset. As one of the ones who tends to pump the brakes on irrationality, a big part of me appreciates your assessment. The most telling point you make, that we beat mostly average teams to tankers in our recent period of good play, is even worse when you recall that Boston had three important players out and Golden State may be a pretty average team also.
And that was my initial thinking too. But, in analyzing the line-ups, I feel like we have a better chance this year than last. It’s not a huge chance, but maybe a 20% chance. That chance of an upset would be predicated on playing outstanding defense, which is where we may hold out a scintilla of hope.
And it’s not like we lose the pick forever, just for a year, if I am not mistaken. It was a risk for sure, and we may regret it when we can see things objectively. But, for now I am going full throated for the Heat to make a run. Go Heat!
gsw no cuury
Agree and I’ve said the same thing. We unfortunately, will get our pick next season, but it won’t be as high as this #11, which would have been our highest pick in 10 years. It will likely be in the 15-25 range depending on the offseason.
I don’t feel Cleveland is as solid as Boston was last season (I may be wrong), and we were missing key players in that 1-4 butt kicking. This team seems much more well rounded than last season and, obviously, much better defensively. The series should be more competitive than last season. Not suggesting an upset and, like Zac, I will be interested in who was available at #11.
If you feel that way you should probably not waste your time by tuning in to watch the games. You can watch the 8-9 minute highlights afterwards on YouTube.
I am not ready to throw in the towel on this team just yet. I’m old enough to remember the 1969 Miracle Mets, the 1969 Jets, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team, Buster Douglas and countless other upsets in sports history.
FYI: More recently, I remember the 2023 Miami Heat team making it to the NBA Finals as the 8th seed, although they faced +3000 odds.
“A failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.”
~ B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), American psychologist ~
zac is more negative than me .hes a one shot poster good at the negative 3needs to work on positive heat post moves
Wow, that is saying something!
I was going to comment on that but didn’t want to be negative. 😬
Please send me your contact info so I can have you read the eulogy at my funeral. 😉
Lol!
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to say goodbye to the dearly departed. He was dearly and he has departed. In other words, the _ _ _ _ _ _ dead. And if you think we gonna bury you with them diamonds and shit on, you got another thing coming.
Richard Pryor?
lets root for indiana sweep and greek trade rumors to mia can begin
Works for me as long as it’s done quickly or not at all. Too many examples of Riley spending all offseason trying to get a player, failing, and then other good prospects are off the board.
Unless you are willing to give up Herro or Bam, there are far too many teams with more assets they can use to trade for him. Off the top of my head, OKC, Houston, Knicks and Boston are just a few.
hell yeah for greek take either one tys from that area and couple youngens jjj jovic pelle
and 14 draft picks.
When I look back at this season, the thought occurred to me that the current team, with the addition of Wiggins, Mitchell, Anderson and inserting Ware as a starter, is much better than the team that was on the floor with Rozier and the quitter prior to the February trade. That team probably wouldn’t have made it out of the first play-in game. In addition, if the trade hadn’t happened, Miami would probably never would have traded for Mitchell. Everything happens for a reason.
Below is an interesting article on why the Heat has the edge in the series with Cleveland. I like the comments about Mitchell. So true. I also like the following passage: “So, what does this all mean going forward? For starters, it means that this core can still compete at a high level, even without Jimmy Butler. It also means the pressure is off. The Heat are playing with house money.”
https://allucanheat.com/heat-have-massive-edge-over-cavaliers-entering-playoff-series?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
Mia is missing a SS level player tbh. If by chance Mia can get kd w/o having to mortgage their future w/ picks or players (ware is off limits as are others) but any trade for any player this summer should not involve ware if I’m pat that’s the first thing I’m saying when I answer the phone or vice versa
Miami doesn’t have the assets to compete for a ss without giving up Bam or Herro.
I’ve seen a proposed trade of Wiggins, Rozier, 2029 & 2031 picks and maybe one young player not named Ware for KD. Maybe they could throw in Dunn. Just, as you say, spitballing.
KD is a selfish egotistical mercenary. The opposite of “Heat Culture.” Find a ss who isn’t arrogant and entitled and we can talk. There’s a few out there. Preferably someone on the same timeline as Herro, Mitchell and Bam.
🎵 When I look back at all the crap I learned in high school 🎶
🎵 All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall.
I was looking at the match-ups for the Cleveland series. They don’t look too bad, especially if Davion Mitchell starts and defends Donovan Mitchell and Wiggins defends Garland.
Possible Starters
6’1″ Garland vs 6’7″ Wiggins
6’3″ Mitchell vs 6’0″ Mitchell
6’5″ Strus vs 6’5 Herro
6’11” Mobley vs 6’9″ Bam
6’9″ Allen vs 7’0″ Ware
Possible Rotation Players
6’8″ Hunter vs 6’5″ Highsmith
6’5″ Jerome vs 6’5″ Burks
6’8″ Tomlin vs 6’8″ Robinson
6’9″ Wade vs 6’9″ Anderson
6’5″ Okoro vs 6’6″ Jaquez or 6’10” Jovic
6’4″ Merrill vs 6’5″ Larsson
NOTE:
The Cavaliers are -2500 favorites to win the series. The Heat are +1200 underdogs. Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. With odds like those, Miami has absolutely nothing to lose!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRrNY0pxfM
While I don’t think Spo will change his lineup, I agree we match up well. When we got blitzed last season by Boston, we were missing key players. This season, we’re entering the playoffs as healthy as we’ve been. In the past, if the opposition stopped quitter and Herro, they likely would win. Now we have multiple players who can give you 20, and a couple capable of 40. I do not believe the Heat will be swept. I do not believe the Heat will only win one game. Anything is possible.
couple capable of 40.herros the only guy that could get 40.bam wiggins maybe 30
Where the heck were you when Wiggins scored 42 recently??? I mean it’s just being ignorant (doesn’t mean stupid H, just unaware of the facts).
my bad.wiggy is a talented player theres a reason he went first in the draft,thats why i give the new heaters a shot vs cleve.those 2 slo mo 3 prayers were so key to holding atl at bay.that dav ot itself gives us hope.on 6 game win streak they were pretty much blowouts.average teams do not do that.the new heaters are legit nba finals threats,
I hope you’re right
Jaquez scored 41 against the Wizards six days ago. Rozier scored 40 points against Atlanta in 2020. Love did it several times…so there’s that.
Postgame interviews with Highsmith, Mitchell, Bam and Herro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frGrjTHn79Q
Thanks, I was going crazy trying to find that last night. All I saw was Spo, Quinn, and Tre.
Me too. They just posted it this morning.
Everybody is talking about the resilience and resurgence of the Heat. Some are even hesitant to count them out against Cleveland, despite the betting odds. Most of all, folks are talking about Davion and how he has captured the interest of NBA fans who have seen his recent performances. A few commentators are strongly recommending that Miami sign him as soon as possible to a contract worthy of his talent. I’ve seen the numbers $10-$12M a year mentioned. Four years/$40M-$48M sounds good to me.
sports interviews i listen to if i want to go to sleep
This falls in the category of who gives a sh*t, 😆 Then don’t watch them if you don’t like them. Others are Heat fans and want to hear what their favorite players have to say.
talk means sht rc its all cliches just win baby .dont care if u cant put 2 words together
Sometimes it’s more and you get a little insight to the players. But yeah, ‘coach told me to be myself’ or ‘we got a great group of guys here’ gets old.
I particularly wanted to hear what Mitchell had to say. This whole focus of attention thing is new to him. He seems like a pretty even keeled guy. Perfect for Miami Heat culture. I hope Miami keeps him.
They just have to. He has meant to this team what Giddy meant to Chicago.
What a game. What a crazy, bizarre season. Credit to the team and Spo, they never quit on the season like they didn’t quit in this game when down 6. Other fan bases like to laugh at the Heat culture thing. Well, laugh now mfers. Your crap ass team would have mailed it in by mid-January.
On to this Cavs series. So strange that the Heat have never played the Cavs. We have some storylines. Of course, Cavs fans were probably not thinking about the Heat ever since Lebron went back and won them 1 championship. But now they are going to have to deal with those emotions again. lol Also, Wiggins gets to play against the team that drafted then traded him because of Lebron. Another, D. Mitch was supposed to end up with the Heat but the Cavs were able to pull it off. There is some serious synergy to this one. It would be the biggest upset in NBA history by game differential. We have enough. Let’s go HEAT!
All right! We did it! Not an easy thing to accomplish either. Not going to cast any doubts against the next challenge either. We are going to need everyone to contribute in our top nine, which includes a little Duncan, possibly when Wade is in. Not sure what Jovic’s role will be but maybe when Ware or Bam rest, we can try him a little there as Anderson may be too short for some situations.
Watch out for Ty Jerome, he is a very good player, a player one may not think of. And maybe sic Davion on Donovan.
Come to think of it, we do have a chance! What more can you ask for.
ware 22 minutes thats bad coaching ,he was so good and so much taller than anybody on the ct .ware could of had a line of 30 20 easily
Dude, it’s not what you say…it’s how you say it. I didn’t like it either, but Spo knows best what the rook can and can’t handle. I’m sure he’ll see much more playing time against the Cavs front line.
Disagree. Just telling it like it is. 6 for 6 from the field. (perfect), 8 rebounds never any foul trouble. Hasn’t fouled out all season. The guy’s a dominant force. Just needs playing time and Spo put a lid on that all season, Spo’s lack of use for Ware has been the most frustrating thing to watch. Bad coaching
.22 mins how else u say it.whens last time wares played 30 or min.major spo scratcher
April 7, a whole 12 days ago! Woowee!
would u rather have hh on ct or ware closing time.
Generally, I would say Ware, but it depends on matchups. Highsmith contributed mightily to the win last night. But I was upset about Ware not getting more time, considering he was shooting 100%.
Ware is still green and I guess Spo doesn’t want to put him in the pressure cooker until he has a little more experience under his belt. After all, he has less than 3 months experience as a starter. If he does well early in the upcoming games, I’m sure Spo will gradually increase his minutes late in games and eventually at crunch time.
6 for 6 yesterday .looked like the only tall player on ct.atl was small.ware could have dominated for 40 mis,play the youngen damit.seems like edey playing lots minutos 32 now and playing better btw.dont know the reason hes not giving ware 35 minutos,luckily hh had a great game so he gets a pass but that usually doesnt happen with minimum scoring hh
I’m sure it had to do with Atlanta using it’s small ball running offense. If Clint Capella and Jalen Johnson had been available I’m sure Ware would have played more minutes. Who knows what kind of game we would have seen if both were not injured.
I agree
Just saw the Tyler interview…packed for 9 days lol. Again I’m afraid for Cleveland. Getting top seed now facing the boogieman of the east. Not gonna leverage that win against them in regular season this is entirely a different face-off. For now savor our W! See yah all Sunday…well Monday here haha
mitchell an adult male on that court tonight
That was an awesome, fun, fast paced game! A lot of great players tonight. Locksmith played great d, rebounded very well, and made timely buckets, especially that tip in with less then 2 secs on the clock on one possession. Wiggins went 20/8/8 played great, made tough buckets, and played great d the whole night. Bam was everywhere had a block party with 5 blocks had a great all around game, and hit some clutch buckets in the 4th. Boy wonder was Ballin, hit some crazy shots, and went on a heater. When we needed a herro he came through late 4th and in ot. He balled on the great barrier thief as well. He was on fire at one point… straight unconscious trading shots back and forth with Trae. Lastly what can I say about Davion mitchell…. he’s a dawg or a pit bull whatever you wanna call him, that’s what herro said post game. Mitchell was a menace all night and thorn on Trae’s side. He went ballistic In OT. Its crazy cuz he only had 1 point in 1st half. Showed why he was so highly rated coming out of Baylor, he fits heat culture perfectly. I wanted 2 draft picks, but heat said F it, we packed for 9 days, so we going to the playoffs lol.
muscles over heat big? hh was awesome his best game of year.he has it in him to play like that needs to do it night in night out.slomos 2 miracles 3s cant be forgotten although his counterpart slo niang was great until he missed that ez shot over ty at the rim last seconds of game.since we dont have a ss we have to do it collectively.but we do have 4-5 guys that can get u 20 on any night.burks needs to pick it up or lose his minutes,he shoots the caleb martin line drive to much.i wouldnt mind swedish sensation getting some of burks line drive shot minutes .pelle is a swedish dawg.love his toughness and defense.
I had game recorded, but I agree with some of what you said
You’ve been saying all season that Burks is better than Duncan. Now you want him pulled. First of all, regardless of how he’s been shooting recently, the Heat have been playing their best ball of the season with him starting. You don’t change that and maybe affect the chemistry. Second, like Duncan, when he is out there, the opposition has to guard him, especially on the perimeter. They wouldn’t do that with Pelle
his shot is to much line drive.when he has little arch has better chance of going in
Cmon man, you are a student of the game. You don’t change when you are having success with the current lineup. I like Pelle, but put him in and the opposition would be playing 5 on 4 defensively. That would kill us.
That is what is so frustrating about HH. He has so much potential. If he were only consistently more assertive, his offensive stats would be so much better. If he and Jovic had the aggressiveness of Jaquez and Larsson, they would be much better players. The sooner they figure that out, the better for them and the Heat (or for whatever team they may play for in the future).
jovic when aggressive is not a good thing.snozy gonna be more of a shooter than driver.hh could do both but only occasionally shoots and very rarely takes it to the hoop.he has it in his tool box but never uses it.
He’s 21 and a late bloomer. He probably won’t hit his full stride for another 2 years. Again, he has a lot of potential. Whether or not he will reach it is up for discussion.
Exactly 💯
Man was that nerve racking. They almost choked it up there at the end.
I was very concerned when the team lost it’s lead and went into panic mode for a few minutes there in the 4th quarter. When they went down by 6, it looked like they might be headed home for the offseason. We have all seen that story far too many times this season. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and they were able to weather the storm.
I can’t say enough about Davion Mitchell. I am very happy for him. He single handedly put the game out of reach during O.T. I am glad he is finally receiving the recognition he deserves and is having the light shined on him for the first time in his 4 year career. He is a durable, hard-nosed, unselfish PG who fits perfectly in the Heat Culture. He is durable (75.25 games played per season) and is playing the most minutes per game in his career. He is making 50.4% of his FGs and 44.7% of his 3 point shots. He is a great defender. He has found himself a home in Miami. I sure do hope he is offered an appropriate (long-term) contract extension this summer.
The Cleveland series should be very intense, if nothing else. I’m really looking forward to seeing this group evolve further. I really do like what I see.
GO HEAT!!!
lots of guys played well its gonna take at least 5 guys per night to have good games to beat cleveland.that is def possible.cant wait .rest up heaters
MIAtrix made a good observation, one that I’ve talked about at home. Assuming, and I do, that we keep Mitchell, it is the equivalent of getting a top 10-12 pick (especially as he was the 9th). He is still young, fits perfectly here, and does not need to get acclimated to the requirements of the NBA.
I also continue to believe that Keshad will be like a late first or early second round pick.
Sometimes, it is not the better team that wins in the playoffs, but the team that has the momentum.
DM is Terry replacement. Sad for Rozier, Heat tried did not go well.
in a way we have to thank the gambler for suking .we were forced to find a replacement and no way terry could do what dawgy is doing.
terry gets a ring possibly.does love get a ring hes been dnp for personal reasons the whole fn year what a salary cap thief he is.
Funny how you say that about Love but not Keshad. Everyone on a championship team gets a ring.
in a 7 game series the better team usually wins though.i see us and cleve pretty even.tell me their big advantage please i’ll wait for your response or anybody eleses.
The answer is- Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Two players better than our best two. That is their advantage.
After that, maybe we are deeper, one of two possible advantages we have. Going to have to be a collective effort, with the defense of Davion, Andrew, HH, and Bam being critical, and the other advantage we may have.
Donovan Mitchell alone is their advantage tbh. Though if Mia pulls the upset I would be talking a lot of shit about Mitchell and how he should’ve came to mia
donovan will be best player on ct no doubt .when u have ty bam wiggy mitch ware those are 5 good nba players.when u have 5 good players on ct u can compete
Mitchell on Mitchell would be a very interesting match-up. If nothing else, Davion can pick him up full court and try to slow him down and wear him out. It must be very frustrating and exhausting to have a very good, very fast and very tenacious POA guard draped all over you the entire game/series.
I would put our top 3 defenders on their top 3 scorers, from the beginning:
That leaves:
Works for me.
If the league valued Mitchell as a first round pick he wouldn’t be on our team.
Perhaps in terms of immediate on court product he performs at a level that is useful.
I agree, but since he joined the Heat, he was playing at a first round level with his outstanding defense. Add to that his recent improvement offensively and his value is at least commensurate with a top 15, if not his original 9th pick. Some players need the time or the right fit to blossom. It appears he has found that here.
His bad luck was getting drafted by a team that already had a starting PG named De’Aaron Fox. Consequently, he never lived up to expectations in Sacramento.
This is evidenced by the fact he had his role reduced in recent seasons and was entering the final year of his rookie contract when he was traded last summer to Toronto, along with Sasha Vezenkov and a second round draft pick for Jalen Mc Daniels. Toronto, in turn, did not value him very highly. They sent him to Miami for P.J. Tucker and a 2nd round draft pick before the trade deadline.
Miami was very lucky to get him. He was very lucky to land on a defense oriented team where his defense is appreciated and where he has been given the opportunity to develop his full offensive potential. A Win/Win situation.
Nice! First 10seed to get to playoffs. Good record but i hope we change that by next season and no more play-ins. Straight to playoffs. One day off no rest for the weary. Not gonna expect much in gm1
Live one day, one game and one season at a time. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Live in the moment and enjoy today. It’s far too early to focus on next year. There will be plenty of time for that after the playoffs are over. With luck, that could be some time in June (God willing and if the creek don’t rise).