Heat is the king of play-in.
With historic achievements, The Heat became the first 10th team in NBA history, reaching the first round of the playoffs, beating the Atlanta Hawks (123-114) in overtime on Friday night.
This shows the appearance of the three consecutive play-ins in The Heat.
Miami was the seventh seed to enter the play-in in 2023, and ran to celebrate an unlikely run to make the 2023 NBA Finals.
Last season they lost the No. 7 seed game to the 76ers, losing Jimmy Butler with a knee injury, but defeated the Bulls to rob the No. 8 seed, but eventually fell to the Celtics into the first round.
And this time they put out the Bulls for their third season on Wednesday and set out on a date with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Tyler Hero led with 30 points, including two important three-pointers in overtime, while Bam Adebayo contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five memorable block shots.
“I know how badly our group wanted to get into this,” heat coach Eric Sperstra told reporters after the game. “I could see it in their eyes and feel it in their hearts.”
Davion Mitchell made some key plays on stretches, finishing the night with 16 points and four Treys.
The victory allowed the eighth seed to secure the heat in the Eastern Conference, setting up a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Cavaliers.
Halo scored 38 points when the Heat secured a dominant 109-90 victory over the Bulls.
In February, the Heat swapped the Butler for the Warriors on a blockbuster deal that sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, a helmed first-round pick to Miami.
Since the trade, the Heat have faced challenges, including a 10-match winning streak at one point, but they have won a trip to the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.
