Heat got Bulls off their back

The Heat excelled in every offensive category tonight. They had 30 assists, they outrebounded Chicago by 11, they outscored Chicago by 17 in the paint. Tyler Herro scored 38 points and went to the line 10 times tonight. He was perfect in the first and had his worst quarter in the third. He went 3 for 7 for 43% shooting.

Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points, Bam Adebayo had 15 and Davion Mitchell continued to cement his position to stay with the team long-term. He had 15 points and nine assists. The Heat went to the line 22 times in the game. They have to have the same productivity in Atlanta.

Chicago couldn’t beat Miami four times

Josh Giddey, the arch-villain of the Heat this season, scored 25 points on 21 shots. He had ten rebounds and four assists with three turnovers. Coby White had a bad game with seven turnovers. He scored 17 points on 20 shots for 25% from the field.

This was the third year in a row that the Heat eliminated Chicago in the play-in tournament game. Even though Chicago owned Miami this season, winning the series 3-0. As Clint Eastwood’s character, Gunny Highway said to Sgt. Major Chosie in “Heartbreak Ridge,” — “we lost the battles, but we won the war.”

Atlanta and Miami will play for the fifth time

Miami will travel to Atlanta on Friday and play for the right to get the eighth seed. Miami won two games against Atlanta this season. Miami lost the two games in Atlanta and won both games in Miami. The obvious take is that the Heat need to out rebound the Hawks, get more assists and get to the foul line more.

The Heat ran the Hawks off the court in their two games at the Kaseya Center. They scored 120 and 130 points. It stands to reason that the Heat figured the Hawks out, but there is no certainty.

The majority of fans would want the Heat to get a better draft pick instead of going to a first-round series against Cleveland. As the Heat move through the playoffs, the young players contribute and gain experience. Today’s NBA is results-driven, and athletes respond to results. They get a taste of the playoffs, fail, and return the next season to work harder.