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With the Miami Heat facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the first-round series in the NBA Playoffs, the path to the dance was an impressive one. After the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament, the team became the first to make it through the tourney as the tenth seed and solidify their spot in the playoffs, but now the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers await them.
Despite Miami having an immense amount of momentum coming off of two road wins, Cleveland is no doubt well-rested after having a week off since the end of the regular season. When speaking to the media ahead of Sunday night's contest, star Bam Adebayo speaks on how crucial it will be to steal a game on their home floor, according to The Miami Herald.
“Cleveland has been No. 1 in the East all year,” Adebayo said. “They’ve been having a historical season. So for us, it’s understanding what’s at stake for them. For us, it’s figure out how to get one in Cleveland and worry about everything else later.”
While some may write off Miami in the series due to finishing the season eight games below .500, the team has played the Cavaliers hard this season, winning the first and coming close on the road the third time. Still, the Heat are the eighth seed and look to be the seventh team ever to knock off the first, though the last time was Miami in the 2023 NBA Finals run.
“Everybody knows when you get to this point, anything can happen,” Adebayo said. “We can just start shooting the ball great, and obviously we’ve done it before. For us, it’s understanding we got four to seven more games and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Heat “excited” for the challenge against the Cavs
The Heat will be led by the duo of Tyler Herro and Adebayo who have had the hard task of commanding the team in what has been a tumultuous season. Clouded by the drama involving Jimmy Butler, the two leaders plus the supporting cast and especially head coach Erik Spoelstra had a rough patch highlighted by the 10-game losing streak towards the latter half of the season.
However, Miami would turn it around winning eight of their last 12 games of the regular season plus the two road contests in the play-in tournament, spouting confidence in the group. While Cleveland is the No. 1 seed for a reason, sporting stars with scary depth, Herro would speak for the team in saying they are “ready for the challenge.”
“It’s going to be a challenge, for sure. They’ve won almost 65, 70 games this year,” Herro said of the Cavaliers. “They have a great offense, but we’re ready for the challenge.”
Heat have “respect” for what the Cavs have done this season
While the Heat's playoff path is arguably the hardest out of any team, the task is easier said than done, which was emphasized by Adebayo. If Miami could win at least a game in Cleveland and come into Kaseya Center with the series tied at 1-1, the ball would be in their court to take control of the series.
On the other hand, the team across from them is still the Cavaliers who have arguably been the best team in the NBA this season as the No. 1 seed in the East with the other being the No. 1 seed in the West Oklahoma City Thunder.
“You have to respect what Cleveland has done all year long,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve played probably the most consistent level, them and OKC, all season long. It’s not by accident. They’re well coached. They have great players, they have really good continuity. They play the right way.”
“We have an incredible appreciation, and I’m so grateful that we’re in the playoffs,” Spoelstra said. “We’re the first team to do it, why not, to take down two road games to be able to get an invitation into this tournament.”
At any rate, the Heat have a plethora of playoff experience as besides advancing through the play-in tourney for the third time, this season marks the sixth straight making it to the dance, which tied a franchise record. Miami looks to set the tone in Game against Cleveland on Sunday night.
