Getty Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade
The Miami Heat are clinging desperately to the final seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With Dwyane Wade in his final season, Miami currently leads the Magic by a game, the Hornets by a game and a half and the Wizards by 3.5.
The Heat have flipped the odds in their favor over the last few weeks. After a 1-6 stretch in February, they knocked off the Golden State Warriors 126-125 off Wade’s wild, buzzer-beating triple.
D-WADE FOR THE WIN! 😱
Miami has ripped off 5 victories in its last 7 to currently sport a 31-35 record. Wade and company host the Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. EST, Fox Sports Regional) with a chance to solidify the final postseason spot with just 16 games left.
Let’s take a look at Miami’s NBA Playoff predictions and remaining schedule.
Heat Playoff Chances & Potential Seeds
The Heat have a lot to do to breathe easy about their playoff future. According to Playoff Status, Miami possesses just a 36 percent chance at making the NBA Playoffs. The highest odds are the 8-seed (19 percent) or the 7-seed (12 percent).
This would likely pit the Heat against either Milwaukee or Toronto in the first round. The Bucks may be the top-seed in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve actually split the season series against Miami. That blemish included Giannis
Antetokounmpo’s last single-digit scoring game.
ESPN’s BPI also picks Miami as its No. 8 spot (also with a matchup versus Milwaukee). It also calls for the Nets to finish 38-44. This would be a flip of last year’s 44-38 mark, which ended in a first round series defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tonight’s game versus Detroit is vital for Brooklyn’s chances at the No. 8 seed per Playoff Status. A Heat win bumps their postseason chances to 42 percent, and the 8-seed odds move to 20 percent. A loss dips the playoff hopes to a floundering 27 percent.
Most Important Games Down the Road for the Heat
Unfortunately for the Heat, they possess one of the harder remaining schedules out of Eastern Conference teams according to Playoff Status. Half of those games are against probably playoff teams, including a pair against Milwaukee and the surging Boston Celtics.
There’s also some layups against the likes of the Knicks and Mavericks. Aside from those, 13 of the final 16 games are against teams within at least 3.5 games of the playoff hunt, meaning pretty much everyone will be hungry to either secure a postseason berth or move up in seeding.
Team Rankings pegs their final record at 38-44. That includes 5 games with at least a 60-percent win probability (Detroit rounds up from 59.8). Every other game carries under 50 percent chances.
Detroit could prove to be a tipping point for the season. The Pistons routed the Heat 119-96 in Miami back on Feb. 23, utilizing 6 players scoring in double figures. They also overwhelemed with the frontcourt combination of Blake Griffin (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and Andre Drummond (12 points, 14 boards).
Kelly Olynyk and Hassan Whiteside will have to hold their ground better, especially against Griffin. The former Clipper has notched at least 27 points in 3 of his last 5 games.
Erik Spoelstra has done a good job putting this team in position for a playoff run. With the Pistons coming off a 28-pount rout at the hands of the Nets, it’s time to strike.