Following the official release of the NBA schedule, it’s time to dive in to the Miami Heat’s five biggest regular season matchups of the 2017-18 season.
After months of anticipation, the NBA released the official 82-game schedule for every team this week. For the Miami Heat, there were several similarities from years past.
Just like a year ago, they’ll open things up on the road against the in-state rival Orlando Magic.
There will be no Christmas Day game, and fans will be seeing plenty of the likes of division rivals like the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.
With that being said, the Heat will have nine national television appearances, a far cry from last year, where they rarely ever graced anyone’s screen, except for those with NBA League Pass.
Read More: Analyzing the Heat’s 2017-18 season schedule
Boasting a talented roster that features one of the league’s top centers, a veteran point guard at his apex, and a bunch of fighters, Miami will make some noise in the East, especially due to its weakened state.
While it’s not forseeable to expect them to compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers for first, aside from LeBron James and company, the conference is as wide open from two through eight as it has ever been.
The southeast division is among the most competitive in the league also, with four playoff caliber teams in Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta, as well as the Washington Wizards.
The Heat will have their hands full, but as they showed during the second half of last season, they are up for anything thrown their way.
Locked, loaded, and ready to return to the playoffs, here are the five key games to watch out for as the new season quickly approaches on the horizon.