WASHINGTON – No, this is not the type of fight to the finish the Miami Heat typically target, an objective of being a No. 9 play-in seed instead of a No. 10 play-in seed.
But it nonetheless is the reality for Erik Spoelstra’s team.
With eight games remaining, the Heat will go into Monday night’s matchup against the Washington Wizards at No. 10 in the East by virtue of the Chicago Bulls, who have an identical 33-41 record, having clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 2-0 lead in the three-game season series that concludes a week from Wednesday in Chicago.
Beyond that, the gap to the Nos. 7-8 spots held by the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks appears too formidable, considering Heat tiebreaker deficits in those permutations.
In the play-in round:
– The No. 9 seed hosts the No. 10 seed in an elimination game.
– The winner of that game plays at the loser of the No. 8 and No. 7 game to advance to the playoffs.
So what the Heat ostensibly eventually are facing are two must win play-in games for the right to then open the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the No. 1 seed in the East, in the best-of-seven first round.
To Spoelstra it means there still is incentive for that fight to the finish, even if on decidedly lesser terms than at the top of the playoff race.
“There is a competitive character with this group,” Spoelstra said after the Heat extended their winning streak to four with Saturday night’s 118-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of this three-game trip that concludes Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics. “It’s a group that wants to figure it out, wants to play well for each other, wants to compete and get to another level.
“Guys are having fun with the competition and having these games mean something. We feel like we’re playing for something. It’s not like whatever those narratives are out there .There is something to play for and that’s exciting”
With Saturday night’s victory, the Heat stand tied with their longest winning streak of the season, this four-game surge coming on the heels of the 10-game losing streak that dropped them to the bottom of the play-in race.
“Our guys love to compete,” Spoelstra said. “I said this while we were losing games: We all felt alive. Our locker room felt alive. We felt alive from the competition, from the challenge and how frustrating it was.
“If you’re in those circumstances, that can also make you feel dead; that was not the case with this group.”
So, yes, something still to play for, standings still being watched, albeit from south of the typical standard.
“We’re still demanding more.” center and team captain Bam Adebayo said. “We’re still holding each other to a higher standard.
