The Miami Heat are battling just to be in the 2015 postseason.
A year after advancing to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, the Heat have been in a season-long battle just to stay afloat in the playoff race. Since the All-Star break, they’ve drifted in and out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Heat control their own destiny when it pertains to clinching a playoff berth, but that is easier said than done for this team. The 2014-15 Heat have failed to win more than three consecutive games this season and they haven’t been at the .500 mark since early December.
With Miami likely to clinch either the sixth, seventh or eighth playoff spots, or even possibly miss the playoffs all together, here are four possible playoff opponents for the Heat in the 2015 postseason.
1. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are currently slotted as the East’s third seed and have been battling for position with the Toronto Raptors for the third seed for much of the last month.
The Bulls and Heat have split the season series thus far, with one game still yet to be played (April 9 in Miami). In the teams’ first meeting on December 14, Chicago blew out Miami, 93-75, at American Airlines Arena. In the second matchup on January 25, the Heat gained their revenge on Chicago by defeating the Bulls, 96-84. Led by Hassan Whiteside’s triple-double line of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks, Miami outplayed Chicago at the United Center and held the Bulls to just 35.6 percent shooting.
The key this time around is that both teams will feature different looks if they meet in the postseason. The Bulls are now without Derrick Rose, while Chris Bosh is out for the season. Not to mention Miami had a completely different rotation before the All-Star break when they last played Chicago. Shawne Williams, Danny Granger, Norris Cole and Justin Hamilton are no longer with the team.
In order for this matchup to even be possible, the Heat would have to leap the Milwaukee Bucks for the sixth spot in the East. They have failed to do this for the entire calendar year of 2015.
This playoff scenario would represent the Heat’s third playoff series with the Bulls in the last five years.
Next: Toronto Raptors
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2. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are currently the East’s fourth-best and would have to beat out Chicago for the conference’s third playoff spot.
Both the Raptors and Heat have split the season series with one more game (April 11 in Miami) to be played. Miami defeated Toronto early on in the season in just their third game, 107-102, despite DeMar DeRozan’s 30 points. More recently speaking, the Raptors handed Miami a 102-92 loss on March 13, withstanding Dwyane Wade’s 25 points scored. The win ended a 16-game skid versus the Heat.
The loss dropped Miami out of the playoff picture as they struggle to take care of the ball. The Heat committed 21 turnovers, two shy of their season-high. Erik Spoelstra was not pleased with his team’s performance following the defeat:
“At least 10 of them were unforced. We weren’t really able to keep that collective mental toughness through those mistakes offensively. That led to some defensive breakdowns and it went from there.”
While the Heat have dominated their matchups with the Raptors in recent years, both teams are completely different squads in 2015.
Toronto struggles on the glass (25th in the NBA) and on defense (21st), but they possess a lethal offensive attack (fourth in scoring) led by the playmaking ability of Kyle Lowry and the scoring abilities of DeRozan.
Next: Atlanta Hawks
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3. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks hold the East’s best record and have clinched the conference’s top playoff spot.
The Heat and Hawks are both division rivals and have played all four of their games this regular season. Atlanta swept the series with their 99-86 victory over Miami on March 27, which clinched the East’s No. 1 seed for just the second time in Hawks franchise history.
Outside of their 93-91 loss to Atlanta on February 28, the Heat have lost by double digits in each of their meetings with Atlanta this season.
The Hawks don’t have a true franchise player. Very similar to the formula the San Antonio Spurs utilize, Atlanta has a number of players that they can call upon to lead the team depending on the game. Paul Milsap and Al Horford form one of the league’s top paint duos, while rotation cogs like Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague and DeMarre Caroll are more than capable of leading the team in scoring.
Former Spurs assistant coach and current Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has instituted a team-oriented offensive attack complimented by stifling defense, the same formula Spurs head coach Gregg Poppovich has utilized during his tenure in San Antonio.
Provided the Heat drops to the eighth seed in the postseason, we may be looking at another sweep of Miami, courtesy of the Hawks of course.
Next: Cleveland Cavaliers
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4. Cleveland Cavaliers
Finally, the matchup everyone wants to see.
Barring a major collapse, the Cavs will likely clinch the East’s second seed. If things continue to remain the same for Miami, the Heat will clinch the conference’s seventh seed and have their much anticipated first round matchup with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that it might be the most hyped second seed/seventh seed series in NBA playoff history. Both teams have played each other fairly even so far this season, and with both squads favoring a slower pace with half-court sets, this might be one of the tougher first round series for any of the higher seeded teams in this year’s postseason.
The key obviously for Miami will be to slow down James and Kyrie Irving. Luol Deng will likely have to play the role of locking down James, while Goran Dragic will be depended upon to slow down Irving.
It’s very possible this series could go to six games considering the familiarity both squads have with one another.
Next: Missing The Playoffs Altogether
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5. Missing The Playoffs Altogether
And of course, the worst possible scenario of them all which is the Heat missing the playoffs.
It would be the first time in the Spoelstra era that Miami would fail to clinch a playoff berth. The last time the Heat didn’t make the postseason was during the 2007-08 season, the last time Pat Riley was a head coach.
Miami does not hold a first-round draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, so missing the playoffs wouldn’t do much for the team.
Though the 2014-15 Heat have struggled as a squad for the entire season, a playoff appearance would give experience and grit to players such as Dragic and Whiteside. Both of these players are considered key pieces for the franchise’s future and any playoff experience would provide tremendous value for not only the players, but the franchise itself for the coming years.
Riley and Spoelstra have done all they can to give the Heat the best possible chance to be a playoff team in 2015. Here’s to hoping they get their wish as Miami embarks on the last couple of weeks of their season.
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