The Miami Heat will officially need to go through the Play-In Tournament to secure a playoff berth in the East. Standing in their way are the Philadelphia 76ers, who themselves logged their eighth straight win on Sunday to lock up the No. 7 seed in the conference.
The Heat and the Sixers will now face off in a single-elimination Play-In game to determine who will enter the playoffs as the seventh seed in the East and face the New York Knicks in the opening round.
Miami Heat News: Erik Spoelstra Looking Forward to 76ers Showdown
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra wasted no time talking about their imminent matchup against Joel Embiid and the Sixers. Shortly after Sunday’s 118-103 victory against the Toronto Raptors, the two-time NBA champion coach quickly turned his attention to Miami’s next opponent:
“Looking forward to it,” Spoelstra said of the upcoming Play-In game in Philadelphia. “It’ll be a great environment. Philly’s been playing fantastic recently, so we know what to expect up there. … It should be a lot of fun.”
You can already see Jimmy Butler and the Heat flipping a switch now that the playoffs have (almost) officially started. Over the past couple of years, Miami suddenly transforms into a different monster once the postseason arrives, and they will be hoping that this year will be no different.
The Heat are not expected to take any prisoners, and they will now be looking to have the Sixers as their first victim in what they’re hoping will be another extended postseason run.
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