Heat pushed into play‑in

Miami finished 10th in the Eastern Conference at 43-39, so its season now runs through the National Basketball Association play-in instead of the six-team automatic playoff field. (nba.com) The National Basketball Association locks the top six teams in each conference into the playoffs, then sends teams ranked seventh through 10th into a four-team play-in for the last two spots. (nba.com) For Miami, that means a road game at Charlotte, the East’s No. 9 seed, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, April 14. The winner moves on; the loser is out. (nba.com) If the Heat beat the Hornets, they still would not have a playoff berth. They would advance to Friday, April 17, to face the loser of Philadelphia-versus-Orlando for the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com) Miami cannot reach the No. 7 seed anymore because that path belongs only to the seventh-place and eighth-place teams. In the East, those teams are Philadelphia and Orlando. (nba.com) The bracket was set after the regular season ended Sunday, April 12, with Miami two games behind Charlotte and three behind Orlando and Philadelphia in the final East standings. (espn.com) The setup leaves the Heat needing two straight wins to reach the first round, while Philadelphia and Orlando need only one win in two chances. That is the built-in edge the play-in gives the higher seeds. (nba.com) Miami has been here before. The Heat came through the play-in in 2023 and then reached the National Basketball Association Finals as an eighth seed, but this year’s route starts from the conference’s last available spot. (nba.com) All six play-in games this year are scheduled for April 14 through April 17, and the main playoff bracket begins April 18. Miami now has no margin left: win Tuesday to keep playing, then win again Friday to get in. (nba.com)