Miami Heat: Is new style the most sustainable style of play for NBA Playoff Success?
The Miami Heat have been on a pretty good offensive run lately. They’ve been able to rack up the points on the opposition and especially now when they needed to.
Though their defense had been their core strength for much of the season until the end of March, they’ve since flipped the switch, making their offense the focal point. That’s the sum of it, but here are the facts of it.
Heat Through March 31
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) May 12, 2021
Offensive Rating: 107.7 (Rank 25)
Defensive Rating: 109.1 (Rank 6)
Net Rating: -1.3 (Rank 21)
Heat Since April 1
Offensive Rating: 116.5 (Rank 5)
Defensive Rating: 114.4 (Rank 24)
Net Rating: +2.1 (Rank 16)
While that’s amounted to good news, based on the Miami Heat’s ability to win needed games in above timeframes, that’s especially when you consider what they did to close in on the fifth NBA Playoff seed. While they could still finish as high as fourth, it’s unlikely, but they won’t finish any lower than sixth either.
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Hopefully they could get to the fourth seed for a definite home court advantage in the first-round. It would also be extremely fortunate, based on the Miami Heat’s 3-0 record against them this season, that they could face the Knicks in the first round.
With Atlanta 6-1 over their last seven and only with Houston left to play though, it’s unlikely they drop another one, leaving the Miami Heat in the fifth seed. That’s still good for Miami, as they can just do what they need to from there.
Here’s why that’s so.