The top of the Eastern Conference is fairly open this season. Right now, the difference between the first seed Brooklyn Nets and seven seed Charlotte Hornets is 3.5 games. There are a ton of contenders for the first spot in the conference. The presumption before the season was that the Nets and the Bucks were supposed to battle it out, but that is not exactly how it panned out on the NBA courts. One team that has gained traction through the season is the Miami Heat.

Even though they had a ton of injuries, the Florida-based team still holds the second seed, 0.5 games back of the Nets. While they are the second seed right now, there are indicators they will leap over the Nets by the end of the regular season. Thus, here are two reasons why the Heat will secure the first seed in the East.

Reasons for Heat securing the first seed in the East

Experienced and well-balanced squad 

The Heat assembled a squad of many veterans, as they added Kyle Lowry, Markieff Morris, and PJ Tucker in the offseason. While they have some youth, especially in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson, the squad is led by Jimmy Butler and Lowry, both veterans. Lowry is 35 and while he has fallen off since his All-Star years in Toronto, he is still playing great basketball. Butler is younger, at 32, but he also has a ton of NBA games under his belt.

With a veteran squad, the Heat can be great in some clutch situations where inexperienced teams can struggle. Overall, the Heat played 21 games with a point differential of five points or less in the last two minutes of the game. They won 13 games, which is tied for 7th in the league with the Chicago Bulls. The Heat veteran presence helps a ton to preserve confidence and stability in clutch situations, but it is also about their youngsters. Their younger players have huge experience since they all played for the Heat in the 2020 run to the NBA Finals.

It is also about balance. Currently, the Heat are ranked third in offensive rating, eighth in defensive rating, fifth in net rating. When talking about specific stats of their offense and defense, the Heat are rock solid there too. For instance, they have the third-best three-point percentage with a crisp 36%, while also being in the top half of the NBA standings in field goal percentage (14th), free throw percentage (7th), and assists (7th). In defense, they are the best in the league in allowed field goal attempts and makes, while also being fourth in opponents' points per game. That would be better, but the Heat have an issue with keeping their opponents from shooting and making three-pointers.

Generally, the Heat have a squad that has everything. Butler is there to lead on both sides of the floor, but also to bring in toughness. Lowry shows young guns how to play with a lot of heart. Robinson, Herro, and newcomer Max Struss are there to be shooters, and Bam Adebayo holds it down in the paint. If they can keep this form up, they are definitely going for the first seed.

They have thrived in adversity…which cannot be said for their rivals 

The Miami Heat has had a ton of issues with injuries this season. Out of the 46 games the squad played this season, Adebayo missed 25, Butler missed 18, Herro missed eight, and Lowry missed seven. These are four key players for the Heat and they missed a ton of time, but the Heat is still going very strong. That is without even mentioning that they have Victor Oladipo who is yet to suit up and will bring a ton of firepower to the Heat lineup.

While the Heat could have had a better record if they had more of their players available, their rivals do not have the same excuse. The only squad that comes close is the Nets, who were without Kyrie Irving and still cannot suit him for home games, and just recently lost Kevin Durant for a few weeks. However, the Bucks, for instance, have not had nearly the same issues with injuries, and the same goes for the Bulls. The Bulls will now have some injury problems, due to the fact that Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Zach LaVine will be out for the next couple of weeks, so it will be interesting to see if they have the same success as the Heat has had.

Of course, the logical assumption coming out of this is that when the Heat finally has all of their squad together, they should play even better. Now, Herro, Lowry, and Morris are out, but they should be back shortly. Adebayo and Butler are fully recovered, so if there are no further injuries, the Heat should enter the second half of the season fully ready to fight for the first seed and home-court advantage in every round.