Can the underdog Miami Heat overcome a surging Charlotte Hornets squad and organizational questions? Doubts emerge as a playoff bid hangs precariously in the balance.
After an 82-game regular season, finishing with a 43-39 record, the Miami Heat will participate in the Play-In Tournament for a fourth consecutive year. As a 10-seed, the team must win two games to qualify for the playoffs. They will face the Charlotte Hornets for the first matchup at the Spectrum Center.
In the latest episode of the HeatWave Podcast, part of the Roundtable Sports Network, beat writer Anthony Aguirre was joined by Orlando Magic beat writer Don Strouble to discuss both Play-In Tournament games. The Hornets are viewed as a common threat, as the team went 33-16 after Jan. 1.
“This is what terrifies me about the Hornets and they’re finally showing it,” Aguirre said. “LaMelo Ball has been healthy for most of the year. The ankle issues have not been a problem this year and he’s been going off. He has a case to be an All-NBA player. Brandon Miller is finding his own. Kon Knueppel just made history [by] leading the league in threes as a rookie. I do not like the Heat’s chances.”
The Heat are known to thrive as underdogs, but the motivation to prove doubters wrong might not be enough this time around.
“It’s interesting because the Heat, the last few years, have always had this fighter’s chance,” Strouble said. “Especially before Jimmy [Butler] got traded and the dramatic saga that ended his tenure there. It was always like, this is the team that could finish eighth and then go to the [NBA] Finals. They were the [Indiana] Pacers before the Pacers last year, in terms of catching lightning in a bottle, but it was even that because they did it so many times. When I look at Norman [Powell’s] numbers, 21.7 points per game, that is just a hair less than his career-high mark when he was with the [Los Angeles] Clippers. It doesn’t feel like the impact has been there, namely because of the injuries. Played 58 games, in a situation when the shots not falling, he doesn’t have the size or tenacity to defend.”
Aguirre believes that if the Heat loses to the Hornets on Tuesday, it could set a chain reaction for the organization moving forward.
“The Heat could lose to the Hornets and this all ends,” he added. “What I mean by ‘all of it,’ I think Bam [Adebayo] might request a trade. He’s 28 years old, in the peak of his career, he just scored 83 regardless of the ethics, he is a complementary player. I do wonder how much tolerance does Bam have left? I would be very concerned if I’m the Heat.”
Make sure to check out the latest of the HeatWave Podcast, part of the Roundtable Sports Network, hosted by Miami Heat beat writer Anthony Aguirre.
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