Since the Play-In Tournament was established in the , one team appears to have conquered it more than the rest. And the players on that team are well aware of the narrative that has been established. Over the past couple of seasons, the have learned to adapt to the reality of playing in the Play-In Tournament, . Last season, the Heat defied the odds by making it to the Finals despite being the seventh seed, which granted them the first spot in the Play-In. This year, the Heat seek to repeat that outcome as they are almost certainly Play-In bound this season. They currently sit in seventh in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the with four to play. "If we end up in the Play-In, we end up in the Play-In, we all have a
Job to do…that’s how we’ve always played, we’ve never made it easy. Why make it easy now?” – Jimmy Butler While it is certainly possible for them to avoid the Play-In with a strong finish and a collapse of another team ahead of them, the odds are more than likely that Miami will be a Play-In team once again. And the team has become accustomed to it, as evidenced by none other than . Mastering the Play-In Despite featuring a talented roster, the Miami Heat certainly have ‘never made it easy,’ at least in their current era. They were not the favorites to reach the Finals in 2020, but did so, despite losing to the . Last season, they finished in 7th and were the first Play-In seed, as mentioned, but managed to turn it on and reach the Finals (though they lost to and the ). In essence, the Heat have found a way to thrive as the underdog, becoming the very representation of that label in the past couple of seasons. Their primary problem has been health, with the ability of all of their starters to stay on the court at once coming into question. That has been the problem for them this season, as well as the playoffs last year. Miami Heat - 2023-24 Top Contributors Category Jimmy Butler Tyler Herro Bam Adebayo Terry Rozier Duncan Robinson PTS 21.1 20.7 19.6 16.4 12.9 REB 5.3 5.3 10.7 4.2 2.5 AST 4.9 4.3 4.0 4.6 2.8 FG% 49.4 43.9 51.9 42.3 45.0 3PT% 40.1 39.8 34.3 37.1 39.5 However, the Heat have recently gained all of their starters back, with and Duncan Robinson making their returns last week, as well as centerpiece Tyler Herro returning a few games ago. This, combined with a healthy Jimmy Butler and , make the Heat a formidable foe. Similar Situation Out West It is a similar situation to what the find themselves in this season. They will be the 10th and final seed of the Play-In Tournament, giving themselves quite an uphill battle to climb. But they still feature the star talent of , , and , the same core that won it all multiple times to form basketball’s most recent dynasty. If a team features a solid core of proven talent, as the Warriors and Heat both do, it gives them extra confidence in the Play-In Tournament and ups their chances to make it to the actual playoffs. But given that the Play-In is only a couple of games, anything can happen. Butler and the Heat, however, have made it clear that whatever happens, they will be ready.