Miami Heat: 4 Immediate Eastern Conference Playoff Threats

Erik Spoelstra Head Coach of the Miami Heat looks on during the first half of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Erik Spoelstra Head Coach of the Miami Heat looks on during the first half of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
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Miami Heat
Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16) shoots against Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown (1) during the second half at Barclays Center.(Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports)

Miami Heat: 4 Immediate Eastern Conference Playoff Threats- Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have had a mess of a year. Kyrie Irving looks spectacular when he plays but has missed a significant amount of time due to his vaccination status.

Brooklyn

That looks like it’s about to be lifted and Kyrie will be available full time. Kevin Durant returned from an injury and also looks like his old self—spectacular.

How Miami matches up will be dependent on Brooklyn’s newest trade acquisition, Ben Simmons. Simmons hasn’t played all year.

He is a mystery in more ways than one. The success of Miami’s offense will be very interested in knowing how he looks once he returns.

Last year, he was a Defensive Player Of The Year runner-up. His ability to lock down perimeter scorers, as well as his ability to switch onto bigs makes him a real threat.

Putting him on Jimmy Butler would deter Butler’s scoring and playmaking but Simmons would also be effective in switching onto Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro. If this is an early matchup, it might well go to seven games.

It all depends on if and how Ben Simmons plays.