Miami Heat’s Playoff Hopes Looking Grim Following Wednesday Loss

If the current play-in picture holds, Miami would have to go back on the road to Chicago and win there before playing the winner of the No. 7 seed game. Whichever team that may be, between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks, would have home-court advantage as well.

The Heat are no strangers to the outskirts of the NBA postseason picture. Miami has appeared in the last two Eastern Conference play-ins, compiling a 2-2 record in that span and making the playoffs both of those years.

However, as they gear up for their third consecutive trip to the play-in, one key factor could make a difference: in those first two seasons, the Heat were a seventh or eighth seed, giving them two chances to secure a postseason berth. As the prospective tenth seed, Miami will have to win back-to-back games, both of which will likely come on the road. If they lose, they go home. Simple as that.

The Heat haven’t missed the playoffs since the 2018-19 season, back when Dwyane Wade had just concluded his farewell tour and Jimmy Butler had yet to move down to South Florida. Now, with Butler having come and gone and a new era seemingly on the horizon for the franchise, Miami will need more late-April magic than usual to avoid falling victim to this fate once again.