Ultimate preview of the Miami Heat’s In-Season Tournament group opponents

Your ultimate preview of the NBA’s in-season tournament and what the Miami Heat must do to advance to the championship round in Las Vegas.

The NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament commences Friday, with the ultimate goal for the Miami Heat being to add another piece of silverware to their illustrious cabinet at the start of December.

• All 30 teams have been split into groups consisting of five teams from within their conference, with the six table-toppers from their respective group advancing into single-elimination, quarter-final matchups.
• The most successful second-place wildcards from both conferences will make up the remaining two places for the knockout rounds, which will begin Dec. 3.
• Group stage and opening knockout round clashes will take place at the home of NBA team markets, but the final four will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Heat will compete in Group B, along with foes from last season’s playoff run in the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks, plus the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s creation provides the opportunity for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to experiment with his rotation and find the necessary tweaks to kick on from the unprofitable recent tip on the road. Knockout basketball is the bread and butter of the organization, epitomized none more than so than in Jimmy Butler’s Jekyll and Hyde character between regular season games and clutch post-season matchups. This isn’t something that the Heat should sneer at.

The Kaseya Center court will have a makeover for the arrival of the Wizards on Friday night. Let’s take a look at the Heat’s group and their chances of advancing in the tournament.