The Miami Heat just can't figure out the Cleveland Cavaliers. And if it wasn't clear before, they're a team that they shouldn't want to see in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Heat may not have the luxury to position themselves in a way to handpick their first-round opponent. At this point, the Heat would just be lucky to be invited to the official dance. In fact, having lost six of their last seven games, they're going to have to earn their way into the top 8 via the Play-In Tournament.
Nevertheless, if there's a way that they can avoid the Cavs, it may end up being a best-case scenario for Miami. It seems as if both on and off the floor, the Heat just can't solve the Cavs.
And it goes well beyond just this season, and their most recent 149-128 loss to Cleveland.
In their last 10 matchups, the Heat are just 2-8 against the Cavs. And they're being outscored by an average of 20-plus points in each of those games. Most notably, the Heat were historically outclassed by the Cavs in last year's first round of the NBA Playoffs, losing in four quick games.
Clearly, it's something that the Heat still carry in the back of their minds.
The Cavs's personnel give the Heat fits
While it's difficult to pinpoint why exactly Miami has struggled so much with the Cavs over the last two seasons, there's one clear theory to point to - their size.
Cleveland is generally a bigger team than most other opponents in the league. Starting essentially two 7-footers in the first 5, the Heat just doesn't have the bigs to compete with that.
And while the Heat has grown accustomed to playing smaller, both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have consistently given them issues. Not to mention that Donovan Mitchell is one of the best offensive players in the league.
For example, in last night's loss, the Heat sent out Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo to match up against Allen and Mobley. Both Bam and Wiggins are really good players, but you can't teach size. And that size was overwhelming against the Heat.
Allen and Mobley finished with a combined 41 points and 20 rebounds. That's just too much for Bam (and Kel'el Ware off the bench) to overcome.
The Cavs might just have the Heat's number
Mind you, the Cavs had their way with the Heat (winning by 21 points) on a night that Mitchell just scored six points on 1-10 shooting from the field. Yet, it didn't seem to matter.
That's just how dominant the Cavs were against the Heat.
Miami struggles mightily against the Cavs, and if they do match up in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it's difficult not to envision a repeat of last year happening.
The Heat should not want to see the Cavs in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, of course, that's even if they get there. Because, with the way they've been playing of late, that's no guarantee.