Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Snubbed In National TV Games, Shows Lack of Relevance

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the basketball as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Apr 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles the basketball as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends in the third quarter during game three for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

There was a time when the Miami Heat were the biggest show in sports.

That time has passed.

That was evident again as, on their initial complete schedule, the Miami Heat were granted just five national television games. For some perspective, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors (yes, Jimmy Butler's new team) and New York Knicks have 34 each.

The Heat's total is down from seven last season.

Only seven teams have fewer: the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets. All but maybe the Bulls are in the midst of clear rebuilds. The Heat are still trying to compete.

It is possible that the Heat could work their way more into the national spotlight, but their early season schedule, with six of their first eight on the road -- some against West powers -- won't make that easy.

Why has this happened?

Well, first the Heat were 37-45 last season, and that included a four-game sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the last two games decided by 92 points.

But it's also the lack of starpower. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are generally regarded to be top 25 and top 50 players, respectively, but not much higher. Norman Powell appears to be a good addition, but he doesn't have national name cache either.

It's a long way from the days of "not one, not two, not three, not four...." to just five national games.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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