The Miami Heat enter the 2022 NBA Playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Despite that, NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley doesn’t expect a lot from the Heat going forward.
In fact, he recently made it clear that he believes the Heat would lose to the Brooklyn Nets if they end up playing them in the playoffs.
Charles Barkley: “If the Miami Heat play the Brooklyn Nets, the Brooklyn Nets will beat them… I’m not sold on Miami.”
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) April 11, 2022
Barkley’s assessment may actually lead some Heat fans to be even more confident in their team. Over the years, Barkley has been panned as a fairly inept predictor of outcomes, and his predictions have often come back to bite him in entertaining and comedic ways.
The Heat just completed one of their most successful regular seasons in recent memory. There are a number of teams that seem to have what it takes to advance to the NBA Finals this season. Without a doubt, the Heat are one of those teams.
Still, there is no doubt that having to face the Nets in the first round would be a disappointing prize for the Heat. Though the Nets haven’t been that impressive this season, the talent on their roster cannot be denied.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving remain one of the top superstar duos in the league, and it seems like Ben Simmons could make his return to the court soon.
With that in mind, if the Heat want to make it to the NBA Finals this season, they’re going to have to play tough teams sooner or later. Getting a tough test in the first round could be a good way for Miami to get things going in the postseason.
