Miami Heat To Face Chicago Bulls In First Round Of Play-In Tournament

Despite Tuesday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans Pelicans, the Miami Heat have officially clinched the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat open the Play-In Tournament Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. They’re 0-3 against Chicago this season, including two blown double-digit leads in the fourth quarter.

This marks the third straight appearance in the Play-In tournament, but the circumstances are different. They entered as a No. 8 seed the past two seasons, giving them two chances to secure a postseason spot.

Dropping the opening games both years somehow worked in their favor. Last year they advanced to the playoffs after defeating the Bulls before losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the first round. In 2023, the Heat turned the No. 8 seed into a memorable run to the NBA Finals before losing to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. They became just the second team in league history to accomplish the feat, joining the 1999 New York Knicks.

This year, the road is tougher. With just one shot at survival, the Heat need to win back-to-back elimination games on the road to earn a playoff berth.

If they beat Chicago, the Heat face the loser of the No. 8 Atlanta Hawks versus No. 7 Orlando Magic in an elimination game Friday. The winner faces Donovan Mitchell and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Josh Gitman is a contributor to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at joshuagitman090406@gmail.com