There is an elevator and a entice door for the Miami Heat with their subsequent step within the standings.
Based on the second, it may go both means for Erik Spoelstra’s crew, with no center floor.
Secure a No. 6 seed or increased within the Eastern Conference and there’s a assured best-of-seven opening-round playoff sequence. Anything much less, and there may be the perilous play-in spherical, the place a loss or two means no precise playoffs in any respect.
Positioned at No. 6 within the East going into Tuesday evening’s sport in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the second cease on this four-game journey, it’s all there for the taking . . . or giving.
With Sunday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets a sobering reminder of the tenuousness of the state of affairs, the Heat (28-23) acknowledge precisely what they’re enjoying for each now and the steadiness of the season.
“It’s not something that we’ll obsess about,” Spoelstra stated of the standings, with 31 video games remaining within the common season. “It’s actually extra about our strategy of how we’re bettering day-after-day.
“But there’s a human side of it. There’s a competitive side of it. So we are starting to at least note the teams that we’re right there with. And having that awareness can give you a healthy perspective.”
As lengthy, Spoelstra stated, because it doesn’t grow to be an obsession.
“You don’t need to overwhelm yourself of those result thoughts right now,” he stated. “But that’s the part that also makes it a little bit fun.”
At the second, enjoyable has grow to be an summary after Sunday’s loss in Charlotte.
But it’s additionally considerably who the Heat have been this season, additionally with losses to the lottery-bound Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.
“I think we play better, quote, unquote, the teams that have better records than us,” ahead Jimmy Butler stated. “I’m not downplaying any of these teams because we just got our tails handed to us. But I think we tend to play the right way and do what we’re supposed to do whenever the team is better than us in the standings and we’re trying to chase those guys.”
Chase mode nonetheless is in play for the Heat to maneuver up from No. 6, with Cleveland 2 1/2 video games immediately forward, at No. 5. But there are also the New York Knicks, Thursday’s opponent at Madison Square Garden, only one sport behind, at No. 7, the primary of the 4 play-in spots.
“One game at a time,” middle Bam Adebayo stated. “We don’t look ahead. We’re focused on one game at a time.”
Still, the standings are also staring them within the face, together with that entice door into the good unknown of the play-in spherical, postseason depths the Heat have but to go to.
“I think the standings give us a goal in mind of where we need to be at and where we want to be,” guard Tyler Herro stated. “It offers us one thing to chase. But we simply received to maintain enjoying our sport, maintain enjoying effectively, and get wins.
“But because of the play-in, obviously we’d like to avoid the play-in game. For us, as a team, we’re trying to get to three, four, around there.”
While the play-in has solely been round for 2 earlier seasons (with a hybrid utilized within the 2020 quarantine bubble at Disney World), it has raised the stakes for a crew within the Heat’s present seeding vary.
“In terms of the play-in, we’re definitely aware of that,” guard Gabe Vincent stated. “We’re aware of where we are with that. But in terms of being aware of where everybody else is at, I personally am not paying much attention to that.”
So whereas the standings matter, it’s to not the diploma of the Heat eager to be their finest selves, one thing clearly missing Sunday in Charlotte in the beginning of this four-game journey.
“I’m just concerned about the Miami Heat,” Vincent stated. “So I’m not paying too much attention to the standings. I’m just trying to stack days and help my team win games.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com