The NBA is giving us a Heat-Bulls play-in preview miniseries

The world can never get enough encounters between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

The two teams, which keep finding themselves as play-in tournament opponents in recent seasons, were supposed to play last week in Chicago. The Heat were there. Everyone started warming up. But then the game was suspended because the floor was much too slippery, the condensation caused by some combination of rain and humidity in the Windy City, plus the Blackhawks' ice being present the night before.

So the NBA has a new plan for how to reconnect the squads again. It's not clear everyone will love it.

A few changes have been made to our late January schedule pic.twitter.com/KhhXyUxXGr
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 12, 2026

The game that was supposed to be played on Jan. 8 in Miami, but for the conditions, will now be Jan. 29 in Chicago.

The game that was scheduled to be played Jan. 30 in Miami was pushed back a night to Jan. 31, still in Miami.

The game that was scheduled to be played Feb. 1 will still be played Feb. 1 in Miami.

This means the teams will play three times in four nights. It also means the Heat will play four times in five nights overall, with a game against the Orlando Magic coming right before it.

Considering that the Heat and Bulls are currently in play-in spots -- yes, again, even with the Heat's strong 14-7 start -- this means we could be getting a play-in preview miniseries. And just for good measure, right after the games with the Bulls, the Heat will face the Hawks, another frequent play-in opponent. The Hawks just traded Trae Young.

What's interesting about these Heat-Bulls contests, if not the play between the games, is that they come a week before the trade deadline. It's easy to see the Heat being more inclined to blow up the current roster if this goes poorly. Which it might, considering how Miami has struggled against Chicago in recent seasons, at least until the play-in tournament.

There, the Heat have had better success. Remember Max Strus's huge game?

In fact, the Heat have advanced out of the play-in each of the past three seasons, first propelled to the NBA Finals and then the past two postseasons experiencing meek first round exits.

Sadly, even with Strus a Cleveland Cavalier, it appears the Heat may be headed there again, middling toward early playoff elimination at best, just a game over .500 with the season nearly halfway done.