Inside The Heat

The Five Key Stretches Of The Miami Heat's Schedule

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) is congratulated by guard Tyler Herro (14) after making a basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Apr 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) is congratulated by guard Tyler Herro (14) after making a basket during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

When you're an elite team, every schedule looks reasonably easy. When you're a team somewhere in the middle, like the Miami Heat, the new slate can appear a little more daunting.

And the Heat's 2025-26 is.

There are a few perilous stretches, which could determine how Pat Riley and the rest of the Heat's front office approach the trade deadline, among other things.

Here are five stretches of the season that could be of the most significance:

1. The start: It's brutal on paper, and it comes at a time when the Heat will be incorporating Norman Powell into their lineup. The first three games are against playoff teams and then, after a reprieve against rebuilding Charlotte, the next four are on the road, three against likely West contenders and the other against Victor Wembanyama. The Heat can't afford to go 2-6 or something of the sort.

2. Early November at home: You'd think the Heat would benefit from being at Kaseya Center. But they really didn't last season. And there's a back-to-back home series against Cleveland that could get ugly, followed by a road-home set with the Knicks .... and then Jimmy Butler and the Warriors arrive, likely anxious for payback after the Heat embarassed them last season.

Jimmy Butler is back in Miami in late November.
May 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) dunks the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

3. A pair of 4-game trips: In early January and late January, the Heat play eight games on the road. They'll need to clean up on the last three of those games, though they've had problems in Sacramento, Utah and Portland at times in the past.

4. Just before the trade deadline: That is February 5 this season. The Heat have four home games right before, the last three against Chicago and Atlanta. Let's see how they look after those, and whether it affects decisions.

5. The end: Will the Heat be playing for the playoffs? The play-in? Anything? If so, they do close fairly soft. Two against Washington, two against Toronto, one against Atlanta. That could propel a final push.

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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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