Getty President Pat Riley of the Miami Heat talks during the Dwyane Wade L3GACY Celebration at American Airlines Arena on February 21, 2020.
The Miami Heat have a star-filled starting lineup following a flurry of free agency moves, and the team stands to get even better once the 2021-22 NBA season starts as Victor Oladipo is expected to return to full health by November.
Following the NBA’s release of the official 82-game schedule for next season, Bleacher Report predicts the revamped Heat team will absolutely dominate the Southeast Divison.
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Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes the Heat will end the regular season with a 48-34 record, with the Atlanta Hawks right behind them with a 46-36 record. He wrote:
With the addition of Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, and Markieff Morris, the Miami Heat likely got better this offseason. However, it’s fair to wonder how much better. Lowry is entering his age-35 season, has struggled with durability for two years, and just posted his lowest BPM since 2009-10.
Tucker is 36 and was 340th in BPM in 2020-21. Jimmy Butler, 31, will be a year older, too. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson can conceivably stem the aging tide, but it feels like Miami is slightly behind the East’s top tier.
Notable Heat Games for the 2021-22 NBA Season
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The Heat starts training camp on September 28 and will play a six-game preseason starting on October 4. The first official game of the regular season is at home at the FTX Arena on October 21 against defending NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. .
As it stands, the Heat will have 22 nationally televised games, but that number can change depending on how the season progresses. While Miami were not given a Christmas Day game, they will play the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Eve.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17), Miami will take on the Toronto Raptors, which will be the first time Kyle Lowry faces off against his former team. The Heat will play the Raptors in Toronto on February 3.
On November 10, the Heat will play against the Lakers for the first time, during which Miami will go up against ex-players Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn, who both signed with Los Angeles during free agency this summer. This matchup also marks the first time that the Lakers play against former player Markieff Morris, who signed with the Heat in August.
As for the national games, the schedule is as follows:
ESPN: October 29 vs. the Charlotte Hornets, November 10, at Lakers, December 8 vs. Bucks, February 25 at the New York Knicks and March 30 against the Boston Celtics.
TNT: November 2 at Dallas Mavericks, December 21 vs. Indiana Pacers, February 3 at Toronto Raptors, February 10 at New Orleans Pelicans, and March 3 at Brooklyn Nets.
NBA TV: October 23 at Pacers, November 4 vs. Celtics, November 6 vs. Utah azz, November 11 at Los Angeles Clippers, November 13 at Jazz, November 29 vs. Denver Nuggets, December 28 vs. Washington Wizards, January 3 at Golden State Warriors, January 23 vs. Lakers, January 31 at Celtics, March 26 vs. Nets, and April 3 at Raptors.
Miami Heat’s 2021-22 NBA Roster So Far
Imagine if we re-sign Victor Oladipo 👀
While the Heat said goodbye to Nunn, Ariza, Andre Iguodala, and Nemanja Bjelica, the team also lost Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa in the deal that brought Lowry to Miami.
The following 14 players are locked in for the Heat’s 2021-22 NBA season:
Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, P.J. Tucker, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, KZ Okapala, Dewayne Dedmon, Markieff Morris, Victor Oladipo, and Omer Yurtseven.
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2021-22 NBA Schedule Propels Heat to Dominate Southeast Division: B/R