On Thursday night, the Miami Heat suffered a significant setback in their playoff-seeding push with a 109-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. They had a handle on the game but blew it in the final minutes, crushing the momentum they'd built earlier in the week with a three-game winning streak.
The loss nudged them back into the precarious seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. This position once again subjects them to the unpredictability of the Play-In Tournament, a scenario they faced last year and overcame on their way to the NBA Finals.
With a record of 42-34, the Heat are now a half-game behind the Indiana Pacers, who occupy the sixth seed, and three games shy of catching up to the fifth-seed New York Knicks.
The stakes couldn't be higher for Miami, as securing the sixth seed could position them against the currently third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers — a team they have dominated this season, including a 40-point win in the two teams' last matchup. The Heat would be a borderline favorite in that matchup; thus, avoiding any Play-In shenanigans would be the ideal scenario. Unfortunately, Thursday's result put a huge dent in those plans becoming a reality.
With just over a week left in the season and Miami currently slotted to participate in the Play-In tournament, now is an excellent time to provide a quick overview of this relatively new aspect of the NBA postseason and how it works.
Down to the final 6 games#HEATPlayoffPush // @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/V4HvegX0E5
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 5, 2024
What Is the Play-In Tournament
Instituted first during the COVID-impacted 2020 playoffs, which the Heat dominated on their way to facing the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Play-In Tournament was put in place to offer a fair chance for more teams to vie for a postseason spot. It also helps teams well outside the typical postseason bubble receive one more golden ticket opportunity to catch fire at the right time on their way to a postseason run.The Play-In Tournament includes the teams ranked seventh to tenth in each conference at the end of the regular season. These teams battle it out in a mini-tournament to fill the final two playoff slots.
How It Works
The Play-In will occur from April 16 to 19. The tournament consists of two rounds:Round 1: Getting in the Door
The matchups are as follows: the seventh seed against the eighth seed and the ninth seed versus the tenth seed.
Round 2: Do or Die
The higher seeds receive the home-court advantage. The seventh vs. eighth seed game winner clinches the seventh seed in the playoffs, while the loser gets another shot by facing the ninth vs. tenth seed matchup winner.
The team falling in the final game is out of the playoff picture. Because let's be honest — how many more chances do they need?
After tonight's game against the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers officially have the easiest schedule remaining in the NBA, according to @tankathon.
— Zach Ciavolella (Cha-vo-lel-la) (@CiavoNBA) April 5, 2024
Miami sits with the seventh easiest, while Indiana has the 11th hardest remaining schedule ahead of them. pic.twitter.com/2cbVjpqXxe
Miami Heat Outlook
Catching the New York Knicks for the fifth seed seems far-fetched, but avoiding the Play-In Tournament is still in play.The Miami Heat have six games remaining — three at home and three on the road. The final two games are at home against the 12th-seed Toronto Raptors in what feels like an ideal scenario in a close race. Miami also faces the Indiana Pacers in that stretch, a matchup in which they'll have a chance to make a big ripple in the standings, taking one from the team right ahead of them while moving up themselves.
While moves can still be made, unfortunately for the Heat, the 76ers have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. Miami themselves don't have the toughest set of opponents remaining — currently ranked as the seventh-easiest, according to Tankathon.
Miami is likely to get back Tyler Herro for their last playoff push. How that impacts the rotation and results will be a significant storyline in the coming week.
In any event — the Miami Heat will play playoff basketball soon. Either officially or kind of.
