The Miami Heat are in the same position as last year ,with one last chance, facing the same team they beat to make the playoffs in 2023, the Chicago Bulls. The winner punches their ticket into the playoffs for a first round series against the number one seeded Boston Celtics. Miami and Chicago tied their season series 2-2 but have not played against each other since mid-December.
Both teams will unfortunately be missing key players. Alex Caruso will be a game time decision for Chicago, Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier will be out for the Heat.
With Jimmy Butler out for Miami it is vital for Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to have stellar performances. In addition to Herro and Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith will need to hit his open shots and the emphasis on rebounding will be huge in this matchup against a double-double threat in Nikola Vucevic. Slowing down Coby White who is coming off a 42-point performance against Atlanta, and the veteran savviness of Demar DeRozan will be a force to defend against. Miami must convert their fast break points, avoid long scoring droughts, and limit second chance rebounds.
The season is on the line. Erik Spoelstra said “We will do this the hard way,” and the Heat have not made their path easy to any extent for the second year in a row. These are the cards they dealt themselves. What team will we see with the season on the line? We will soon find out.
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