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While the Miami Heat lost to the Chicago Bulls, 119-11, on Wednesday night, it most likely won't be the last time the two teams face each other for the rest of the season. As the Heat prepare for a hopeful playoff run, the team first will have to make it out of the play-in tournament where the Bulls will likely be their opponent as head coach Erik Spoelstra previews the matchup.
Chicago has no doubt got the better of Miami this season as they swept the three-game season series where Wednesday was a clear display of the fast pace getting the better of Spoelstra and the rest of the unit. While the Heat haven't figured it out thus far, Spoelstra would be confident when asked if the two teams would face off again in the play-in tourney, if Miami would come out the better team according to The Miami Herald.
“Of course,” Spoelstra said. “We’re competitors. I’ll have a better answer if and when we get to that point. But our focus will be on finishing out the season strong. And then we’re going to do whatever we need to do to seize that opportunity to get in the playoffs.”
“We all burned the boats, both teams, focusing on this game,” Spoelstra continued after the loss. “…Our mindset was to get this game and they played better than we did. They deserved it and that’s the biggest takeaway from it.”
Both Miami and Chicago are most likely to be either the ninth or the 10th spot in the standings though there is still a chance the two can get to the eighth spot depending on how the Atlanta Hawks finish the regular season.
Bam Adebayo on the Heat's clear goal for the final two games
Despite Heat newcomer Andew Wiggins returning in the game, the loss for the team had play-in tournament implications as besides the result, it likely leads to them staying at the 10th seed. Meaning, that Miami's path to the eighth seed in the playoffs involves winning two games on the road during the play-in tourney.
Still, the team has two more games left in the regular season to worry about as there is a clear goal as said by Heat captain Bam Adebayo, who scored 18 points and collected six rebounds, after the loss Wednesday.
“Win,” Adebayo said about the approach of the final two games of the regular season. “You want to go into the play-in on a positive note, understanding that we got to go in there to win two games and then go into the playoffs.”
At any rate, Miami is now 36-44 which puts them 10th in the East as the next game is on Friday when the team faces the New Orleans Pelicans.
