MIAMI – As the Miami Heat face the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament as the 10th seed, the path will be a tough one, but one that the team is confident they will get through. Even if the Heat sees it as a prime opportunity against the Bulls to prove themselves, the unit will look to accomplish a feat not seen before.
With Miami as the 10th seed, the group will have to win two road games to make it to the playoffs and be the eighth seed which has not been done by a team yet since the play-in tourney has been integrated into the league. First, the team will have to beat Chicago who swept them in the regular-season series then will either face the loser of the No. 7 Orlando Magic and No. 8 Atlanta Hawks contest.
If they get past the two games, the Heat will then tango with the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. When bringing up the path to the playoffs, young star Jaime Jaquez Jr. said to ClutchPoints that “we embrace this challenge” since the organization is built upon proving the doubters wrong.
“Yeah, no, we embrace this challenge,” Jaquez said after scoring a career-high 41 points in the Heat's regular-season finale loss to the Washington Wizards. “You know, that's something that the Miami Heat has always done. We always like having a chip on our shoulder, and this year is no different.”
Asked Jaime Jaquez Jr. about the tough journey to the playoffs.
“We embrace this challenge, that’s something that the Miami has always done, we always like having a chip on our shoulder…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/GQEdBjS0HT
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 13, 2025
Erik Spoelstra doesn't want the Heat to “over-clutter the mind”
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With the Heat looking to make the playoffs this season after what has been a tumultuous season including the drama with Jimmy Butler, the blown fourth-quarter and double-digit leads, plus more, the team is looking for a semi-fresh start.
Wednesday against Chicago is a chance for the team to clean their slate and start a new narrative as Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the loss to the Wizards it'll be important to not “over-clutter the mind” of the team.
“You also want to be mindful that you don't over-clutter the mind,” Spoelstra said as the team is in the midst of a two-day break before the play-in tournament game. “We're at our best when we have great clarity and we know what our game is at this point. We know what their game is, play them three times in the last two months. So we will do a little bit more prep than a normal regular season game…but I don't want over saturation of information to slow us down, but the extra day, we'll certainly try to take advantage of it.”
Erik Spoelstra on the two-day break and going back to the lab and looking to beat Chicago.
“It’ll be valuable, I’m sure both teams feel that way, you also want to be mindful that you don’t over clutter the mind…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/uyuqrHSBKc
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) April 13, 2025
Even if the regular season ended on another buzzer-beater loss, the Heat are now focused on the play-in tournament as they face the No. 9 Bulls. At any rate, Miami finished with a 37-45 record placing them 10th after back-to-back seasons of finishing eighth in the East.
