The Miami Heat face the most important week of the season in their effort to avoid the tournament play-in and achieve direct qualification for the playoffs. those of South Beach They currently occupy the seventh position in the Eastern Conference with a 39-34 record, one game behind the Brooklyn Nets, sixth, and three and a half behind the New York Knicks, fifth.
It will be measured against both teams in the coming days: on Wednesday they will host the Knicks and then they will welcome Brooklyn on Saturday. “It’s like our own March Madness,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the outlet. Miami Herald. “I see the similarities right now. Every game has to be won. If you’re a competitor, you’ve got to love this. Maybe not where we are and how we got here. But that doesn’t matter now.”
The Heat had hoped to clinch a direct playoff berth after leading the Eastern Conference last season, but a combination of injuries, structural weaknesses and inconsistent play have resulted in a disappointing year. Although the players would prefer to go straight into the postseason, they believe any matchup will be difficult.
“As long as we win, I think we’re going to be fine, no matter the position,” added Jimmy Butler. “If we are in the play-in, if we are the eighth classified against the first,… It doesn’t matter. As long as we win, I don’t think we have too much to worry about.”
(Cover photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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