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Miami Heat keep playoff hopes alive with win against Knicks

By Duncan Smith

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat high-fives teammate Goran Dragic #7 during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 30: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat high-fives teammate Goran Dragic #7 during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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With the importance of each game mounting, the Miami Heat kept their playoff hopes alive with a big road win over the New York Knicks.

Every game is a big one for the Miami Heat at this point, and has been for several weeks now. By virtue of a road win against the New York Knicks, the Heat have climbed back to even with the Orlando Magic in the win column.

The Heat are 38-38 while the Magic are 38-39, giving the Heat an edge by mere percentage points in the standings. The Magic own the tiebreaker against the Heat, meaning that finishing with the same number of wins at the end of the season would doom the Heat to missing the playoffs.

Following Saturday’s action, the Miami Heat now have a 33 percent chance of making the playoffs according to FiveThirtyEight and a slightly rosier outlook per ESPN’s BPI at 46.5 percent.

The Heat’s schedule is daunting going forward, at least on paper. They have the fifth-most difficult schedule remaining with games against the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Brooklyn Nets, and two games against the Boston Celtics. They’ll face a combined winning percentage of 57.8 percent.

While all of those teams are tough, the Raptors and Sixers are virtually assured of second and third seeds in the Eastern Conference so both teams may rest stars. On the other hand, the Celtics are fighting to win homecourt advantage in the first round and the Brooklyn Nets are fighting for their very playoff lives, so in these three games the Heat can expect to face all hands on deck.

As for the Timberwolves, their season has been effectively over for some time now, but it’s always tough to win on the road in the Western Conference.

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The Miami Heat still have an uphill battle, and no margin for error, but there’s a path for them to make the playoffs if they handle business against this gauntlet before them.

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