The Miami Heat handled the first part of their business on Sunday. In the first of two consecutive matchups against the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat came out and did what they were supposed to do.
Dominating the Celtics across the first half of the contest, they were able to make stops when they needed to coming down the stretch to secure the victory. For the both teams involved, these games have a direct impact on how the chips will fall heading into the postseason.
With the Miami Heat having the chance to separate themselves by three full games with another victory on Tuesday, these games were just that much more imperative for both teams. Looking above them though, the Miami Heat still have a chance to go beyond just the Celtics.
With the Miami Heat handling their business Sunday, they can look up at the Hawks, hoping they slip a bit too.
The Atlanta Hawks are the team directly above the Miami Heat, sitting at the fifth seed momentarily but tied with the Miami Heat, record-wise. With consecutive contests against a team nobody wants to face right now, the Washington Wizards, the Hawks aren’t safe by any means.
There are two reasons that nobody should want to face the Wizards. First off and as everyone knows, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook are still, very much so, superstars of the NBA.
They can beat you by themselves and especially if they are close to 100 percent healthy. That alone is a enough, but if it isn’t, here’s more.
Secondly, they still have something to play for, as the newly installed Play-In Tournament has kept them with life. They’ve played like it recently too, ringing off 15 wins out of the last 20 games they’ve played.
That’s major production, a .750 winning percentage, and something that definitely should frighten other teams. That starts with the Atlanta Hawks.
With the Miami Heat still needing to finish their breakfast on Tuesday, with what they got started on Sunday against the Boston Celtics, they have a chance to move up another slot in the seedings. With the Miami Heat being 3-0 against the fourth seeded Knicks this season already, that may be an ideal matchup for them and besides, anything to avoid one of either the Bucks, the 76ers, or the Nets in a first-round scenario.
Things are still wide open in the NBA race for seeding and the Miami Heat still have room to move. That’s the main reason why they’ll be rooting for the Washington Wizards over the next few days.