The Miami Heat's season has been largely up-and-down. The team was projected to finish as a Play-In caliber team in the preseason and despite a hot start, the team is looking to meet those predictions.
Bleacher Report released an article, providing their updated win-loss predictions for every NBA team with under two weeks to go in the regular season. The Heat's original preseason prediction was 42-40. Their prediction from Dec. 1 was 49-33. Their projection post All-Star break was 44-38 and in early March, they were predicted to finish with a 45-37 record. Now, a month later, the Heat are projected to finish with a 43-39 record, one game above of their preseason prediction.
"When the Heat recently punctuated a 1-7 stretch by losing to the lowly Pacers, you almost wondered whether their late-game shenanigans to get Bam Adebayo his 83 points had done irreparable damage to their standing with the hoop gods," the article wrote. "Then, they just bottled up a Sixers team that had all three of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George, so who knows what you're going to get? Their shooters can go frigid, and their defense can be defenseless, or they can sometimes look awesome at either end (or both ends on the very best nights). They have two easy games (both at Washington) and four tricky ones left. Splitting the whole set would be fitting for this up-and-down bunch."
Miami began this season as one of the hotter teams in the Eastern Conference. The team was 13-6 around the Thanksgiving mark and things seemed bright for the roster. Despite the arrest of guard Terry Rozier and the extended absence of last year's All-Star Tyler Herro, the offense was clicking behind the strong play of offseason addition Norman Powell. However, things quickly turned upside down and the Heat had a disastrous month of December. Since then, the team had jumped back-and-forth in terms of wins and losses until March when the team had a seven-game winning streak then followed by a five-game losing streak.
The Heat could be a sneaky team if they advance past the Play-In, but expectations are similar to the last two campaigns. There could be big changes on the horizon for Pat Riley and the front office this coming offseason.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!