The Miami Heat are currently 3-1 and are entering a very interesting stretch of ball games in the upcoming weeks. This 10-game stretch is filled to the brim with playoff teams and championship contenders.
It may seem rough, but the new look Heat are looking to test their might. They opened the stretch against the Brooklyn Nets, who sat at 2-2 without Kyrie Irving prior to the game and 2-3 afterwards.
An early look against the Nets should have given the Heat a chance to test some things out, as far as styles and lineups, against a championship contender team. The Nets are still trying to find balance, but it was still a nice win and a heck of a way to get things started.
After the Nets, the Heat will see the exciting young Hornets team who are ready to tell the league that they’re here. This is also a nice look, due to the fact that the Hornets are definitely a playoff team this year, it seems.
They have the veterans, the young core, and the edge to compete with the top tier teams. It’s also important to note that the Miami Heat struggled with Charlotte last year, so it’ll definitely be fun to watch.
You can also throw the preseason matchup in there too, the one that saw them just edge out Charlotte, after the reserve unit had to come back from a deep Heat deficit created by the, somewhat, regular rotations. Hey, it’s all data, right?
Miami Heat: The Ultimate 10-Game Test… But They Aced Part One
Speaking of battling youth, the Heat will travel for a two-game road trip, matching up against Ja Morant and his Grizzlies, who leads the league in scoring with 30.5 points per game. The Heat lost both matchups last year, so again, it will be interesting to see how they handle Ja and company.
The second road game will be hosted by the Dallas Mavericks. The game is on TNT and both teams will be looking to make a statement.
The Mavericks won’t be as fast-paced as the Hornets and Grizzlies but Luka Doncic, in the half court setting, loves to break down teams and this will be a nice change of play for the veteran equipped Heat team.
Then, we’re headed back to Miami and for a spectacle where the Heat will host the Boston Celtics, which will be presented by NBA TV. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo (Co-Starring Kyle Lowry) vs Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown… what a sight to behold?
Boston is always a threat to make it back to the conference finals, so it’ll be important to see an early healthy matchup between the two teams.
Miami Heat: The Ultimate 10-Game Test… And It Gets Harder As It Continues
Another home game follows and in the form of a visit from the Utah Jazz. It’ll be interesting to see if the greatest player in Heat franchise history, Dwyane Wade, pays a visit to “his house” to watch his part-owned team take on his forever team in the Miami Heat.
Sentiments aside, the Jazz have the youth, veteran leadership, and the defense to make it to the NBA Finals. Oh yeah, just like Miami.
That’s definitely a date to circle on the calendar. This game will also be presented by NBA TV.
After a two-game home stint, the Heat close the stretch with a trip to the West Coast to play the reigning League MVP, Nikola Jokic. The Heat have always had a tough time in Denver and I don’t expect this year to be any different.
That altitude is no joke and Jokic, alone, can take down an entire team, that’s, if he’s healthy. It’ll be nice for Bam to see how he matches up with an another elite big if he is good to go after what was described as a “knee contusion” from bumping knees in a recent contest against the Utah Jazz.
The next part of the trip is to see LeBron James and the Lakers. There’s nothing left to say that hasn’t already been said about the Lakers.
The Lakers have a depth chart full of guys who are hungry for a championship and so does Miami. While Miami is on the younger side of the matchup, both teams are very similar and a Finals rematch could be in the future.
It’ll also be a battle of the minds between Spoelstra and Vogel, as there will surely be adjustments galore. That game will be presented by ESPN.
Miami Heat: The Ultimate 10-Game Test… Will Give Them Tons Of Different Looks
In 24 hours from that and something that totally makes sense, Miami will turn around to play the Clippers. Though no Kawhi Leonard, Miami will still have their hands full with Paul George and other guys like Reggie Jackson, a resurgent Eric Bledsoe, and the do-it-all Terance Mann, all looking to help keep them afloat.
This is still an important matchup, because the Clippers will never take the night off. So, with a back-to-back, the Heat are still expected to keep the same energy because the Clippers will and that’s for sure.
This game will also be on NBA TV. The final game is the last matchup with Utah.
It would’ve been nice to play Utah down the line, as the teams get more comfortable and begin to find the correct rotations that will be ran in the postseason.
This game doesn’t even end the road trip though, as they have another game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami will probably be running on fumes against Utah and unless they’re running on Big Face Coffee, it’ll be a very tough game for them on both nights against the teams wearing shades of blue.
Miami Heat: The Ultimate 10-Game Test… But This Team Will Be Ready
With a, surely, electric Utah crowd and seeing the Thunder fight back to steal one from the Lakers on the same night that they defeated the Nets though, they’ll be ready, hopefully, just with enough energy left in the tank.
Wins in Utah and in a classic trap game, like the OKC game, would be huge and could be a great end to what will go down as an intense 10-game stretch.
Though the Jazz matchup will continue the stretch of national games, on NBA TV, the game against the Thunder does not. It should still be an interesting one to watch though, if you can.
This stretch looks tough on paper and depending on how the Miami Heat come out, could leave them with a less than impressive record. To me, the ideal outcome of this stretch is 6-4.
It won’t even matter who the wins come against, because every team they’ll face is legit. Either way, I think it’s still a good look to see how the Heat matchup with the top heavy teams in the NBA and of course, with some good little tests sprinkled in.
It’ll be nerve-racking for the fans, but at the end of the day, we’ll be getting a good dose of basketball. If anybody is tough enough to conquer it all, it’s this bunch of guys for the Miami Heat