The Miami Heat Tip Off, Week Six: The team’s doomed fate

The sixth edition of the Miami Heat Tip-Off, a weekly AllUCanHeat column, is here.

The never-ending plague that hits the Miami Heat on a weekly basis was at it again.

Of course, I’m talking about the inability to close out games, with the latest contest against the Indiana Pacers being a clear example of that notion.  

James Johnson missed a costly free throw that could’ve sealed the win and resulted in my corrected prediction of 3-1 on the week. Instead, the Heat finished with a 2-2 record and slipped into the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.  

Rough end of the week if you ask me, especially with playoff seeding on the line.  

Doomed fate might seem a bit drastic, but with eight games left (six at home, including three against top teams in both conferences), their fate might be well be set in stone at the seventh or eigth seed. It is closing in on a miracle for them to make the jump to sixth or fifth, especially in a tight race like this.  

However, you never know with the NBA. Miami could still turn it up a notch and go on an eight-game winning streak to close the season. Highly unlikely, but hey one can hope.  

Upcoming Games

Tuesday, March 27 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (Home)
Thursday, March 29 versus the Chicago Bulls  (Home)
Saturday, March 31 versus the Brooklyn Nets (Home)

The great thing about this week is having home court advantage. The Heat are back home with six of their next eight games at home. This is great news for Miami. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games at home. Let’s hope that magic continues this week.

This Week’s Preview

They can easily go 3-0 if they play their cards right, with the hardest matchup being the first one: the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat are 0-2 this season against them, with their their last matchup coming on Tuesday. It’s tough but not impossible. Even though the previous games were losses, they were relatively close, contested matchups and that was before the Cavaliers’ roster revamp.

You can never count out a LeBron James led team but they aren’t invincible this time around. With Dwyane Wade back in Miami and the possibility of finally getting Hassan Whiteside back on the grind, Miami has a legit opportunity to take care of business. They just need to focus on defense, since they’ve been allowing over 105 points in their last four games. They need to erase that ease and lock down defensively.  

The next two matchups should be a favorable result for this struggling Heat team. Their records are complete opposites but show one constant: Miami’s a better team than both the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets.  

Now their last records may tell a different story, with the Heat going 2-1 against the Bulls, but 1-2 against Brooklyn. They are leading both teams by close to 15 games, close to double of their winning record. The losses weren’t close though and were earned by their opponents, however Miami is just a better team overall.  

These losses came during a difficult streak in Miami’s season, and especially with playoff implication on the line, don’t expect the Heat to let up easily. They need these wins more than both the Bulls and Nets.  

So, with that said, Miami will likely finish the week with a 2-1 record (3-0 if we get the best of James).  

This Week’s Challenges

Can Miami get the best of James?  

Will Whiteside finally come back?

Why can’t the Heat defend guards in transition plays?

Next: Miami Heat's end of season outlook hinges on tiebreakers

Here’s to a strong finish.