The first rule of fight week is you have to win fight week. Consider this Miami Heat fight week due to its play-off positioning significance and games against two position-battling squads. A three-game slate in five days sees them clash with the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers. Both teams have the Heat boxed in between their respective seeding. This week also sees the Heat face a hot Houston Rockets team and the welcoming return of Kevin Love. I call this week the “Miami Heat fight week” due to close combat play-off positioning possibilities.
Miami Heat’s Fight Week and Kevin Love’s Relevance
Escaping the Play-In Is Still In Play
Last night saw the Miami Heat fight off the New York Knicks at the Kesey Center in a playoff-style tilt. Miami is in mid-battle with the 76ers and Pacers over the six, seven, and eight seeds. Indiana is up on the Heat by one game, while Philly is one game behind Miami with two more losses. When the Heat and 76ers meet on Thursday, this game can end with significant results for either squad. Considering that the big return of 76ers power forward Joel Embiid this week is a possible reality, the Heat need to show up in a big way. The 76ers have hit a massive drop in the standings since Joel Embiid went down, which means they’re also looking to fight to get out of the play-in and, at the very least, avoid dropping to the seventh or eighth spot.
Avoiding the Top Seeds, But No Matter Either Way
Evidence of last year’s post-season run shows the Miami Heat fight and beat any top seed. However, pushing to reach the sixth seed has to be the goal. This would help to avoid a first-round match-up with the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks. Starting on the road in a series against either of those two teams is a tall task. A tilt in Indiana on Sunday, or rather, a win in Indiana on Sunday, would vault the Heat ahead 2–1 in their season series. This would negate any tiebreaker if both teams were to end their regular season with identical records, resulting in Miami landing the sixth seed.
A Non-Conference Opponent Doesn’t Mean A Night Off
Undoubtedly, the hottest team in the league is the charging Houston Rockets. They’re desperate to win every game they can to overtake the Golden State Warriors for the West’s final play-in seed. The Miami Heat fight against a young and scorching Rockets team this Friday. Seeding-wise, this game doesn’t draw much attention due to the opposite conferences. The Heat can’t take any chances or show up unprepared to play. A win is a win at this point. Conversely, that just may be the exact mirroring mindset the Rockets will have come game day.
Yes, He’s Old, But Kevin Love Can Still Produce
Last night, Kevin Love returned to play against the Knicks. The veteran impressed in limited minutes off the bench, posting a stat line of 8-3-3 in fifteen minutes. Out since February 27, he was cleared to return to play this past weekend’s matchup against the Washington Wizards but was kept off the floor. Heat coach Eric Spoelstra had said he intended to insert Love into the rotation sooner rather than later and stressed that he fully knows how important Love is to have out there. Love is averaging 9.0 points this season while shooting just under 35% from three in 17 minutes per game, primarily off the bench. So he is still a solid rotational piece.
