How High Or Low Could The Miami Heat Could Finish The Year In The East

The Miami Heat have nine games remaining during the regular season

Mar 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket against / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat yet again find themselves battling for playoff positioning to close out the regular season.

The Heat have nine games left to play before the playoffs. A 40-33 record places them seventh in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Indiana Pacers for sixth.

But how will the Heat fare in their remaining games? 

The team is coming off a dominant 142-82 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. The Heat’s next matchuip is with another team looking towards the future; the Washington Wizards. The Heat should come away with another win in that game.

The Heat then play two games at home against other Eastern playoff teams. The New York Knicks, have won eight of their last 10, are a tall task. The Philadelphia 76ers come next, a team that sits just 0.5 games behind the Heat. Both games could go either way.

The final road trip of the year comes against the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and Atlanta Hawks. 

The Rockets have positioned themselves for a late push into the Play-In Tournament after winning 10 straight games. The Rockets sit just one game behind the Golden State Warriors for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. They are 26-11 at the Toyota Center this season, meaning the road trip could start with difficulty.

The Pacers are the most intriguing matchup remaining. The two teams are separated by one game that could decide which avoids the Play-In Tournament. This battle could easily go both ways, but the Pacers’ high-flying offense may be too much for an injury-riddled Heat squad.

The Hawks are the definition of mediocrity. The team is nearly locked into the final Play-In spot in the East. The Hawks have also played consistently average of late. The team is 10-10 over the last 20 games. If the Heat are seriously fighting for playoff positioning, they should take advantage of this matchup.

The Heat host the Dallas Mavericks next. The Mavericks won the only previous matchup this year. The Heat were much healthier then, meaning this could result in another loss.

The final two games of the regular season are against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have given up on this year. The team has lost 12 straight games, so the Heat could potentially end the year with back-to-back victories.

Miami Heat Schedule The Final 10 Games:

vs. Trail Blazers
@ Wizards
vs. Knicks
vs. 76ers
@ Rockets
@ Pacers
@ Hawks
vs. Mavs
vs. Raptors
vs. Raptors

They are one game behind the Pacers for the 6 seed

— Young Simba (@the2kmessiah) March 28, 2024

Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

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