3 Heat takeaways from the penultimate win vs. Raptors

In what is a breath of fresh air for Heat fans, the team had a really good 24 minutes of basketball as they did what they have been aiming to do for the past several weeks. They were playing to their strengths on both sides of the ball, especially offensively as they shot 58.1 percent from the field, making 16 of 21 attempts in the paint, which was an issue in their last loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

They were also nine of 22 from three-point range, but the real kicker is what led up to getting their shots made as in the first half, the Heat recorded 21 assists on 25 made shots which exemplifies how exceptional the passing was to start Friday night’s game. Adebayo led Miami with 14 points shooting six of seven from the field to go along with four rebounds as the clear goal was getting him going early after a disappointing eight-point performance the contest prior where he started one for nine.

The Heat took a 66-50 lead heading into halftime against the Raptors as while fans might feel comfortable, the unfortunate trend this season has been losing big leads, especially against inferior teams on paper. However, the first half would end up being the end for Toronto.

A collective team effort on display for the Heat

A win like this was very much so needed besides it being necessary for postseason seeding performances as the team didn’t have any momentum going into the end of the season. The Heat performed up to their strengths, the top stars played well, the bench contributed in a massive way, and they were left unscathed with injuries.

One of the major gripes with the team was them having a huge lead heading into the second half or the final period and losing it whether they be facing a good or inferior team. The goal now is to replicate Friday night’s performance and do it against the same team Sunday where it will be the final regular season game of the year.

While there have been some major concerns with Miami throughout the season in terms of continuous injuries and regression, there’s no doubt this team is built for playoff basketball. Depending on where the Heat fall in the standings, the goal is simple and it’s to replicate the magic from last season and go back to the NBA Finals.

Avoiding the play-in tourney still a possibility for Miami?

While it might seem inevitable that the Heat will be in the play-in tournament, there is still an off-chance that they could avoid it completely and get the sixth seed, even the fifth seed. Granted, the team needs a lot of different scenarios to happen where beforehand, they controlled their own destiny.

However, one scenario is that besides the Heat beating the Raptors again Sunday, they need the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers to lose out. Orlando lost to the Philadelphia 76ers Friday and Indiana lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers which makes things a lot more interesting in the Eastern Conference.

If the Pacers don’t lost their final game of the season against the Atlanta Hawks, the other way the Heat could sneak out of the tourney is if they win Sunday, Magic lose, and the 76ers lose against the Brooklyn Nets. The concern with the Magic is Milwaukee is their matchup who has lost Giannis Antetokounmpo for the season and Damian Lillard missed their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In any sense, there is still a possibility, though it’s a small one as according to Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probability Report, Miami has a 8.9 percent chance to get the sixth seed and 1.6 to get the fifth (which is still possible with every scenario listed above). Fans will have to wait and see as Sunday will no doubt be a stressful day.