Heat Seek Upset as Game One Opens in Cleveland
The Miami Heat clinched the eighth seed Friday night with a win over the Hawks and will now head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in Sunday’s first-round opener. Cleveland entered the series with a 64-18 regular season record and took the season series against Miami, winning two out of three games this season. Cleveland has won the last two matchups. Miami enters the series at 37-45 after an up-and-down end to the season that included a 10-game losing streak, a rebound with six straight wins, and a finish that saw them drop four of their final six games. Miami needs to stay hot off those two Play-In wins and take one of these games on the road.
Tyler Herro must play a major role if Miami hopes to steal a game. He enters Game One, coming off back-to-back 30-point performances in the Play-In, and will look to carry that momentum into Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell has been managing an ankle injury that sidelined him for the final four games of the regular season. On Thursday, Head Coach Kenny Atkinson provided an update saying, "Really good… He did everything. We did some live stuff today. He was a full go. No restrictions.” That’s a major boost for the Cavaliers, as Mitchell leads the team in scoring with 24 points per game.
A key matchup in this game is how the big men from the Heat and Cavaliers will fare against each other. They enter the playoffs both ranked in the top 10 for defensive rating, thanks in large part to their respective frontcourt duos. Miami is anchored by Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware, while Cleveland relies on Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to protect the paint. This battle won’t just be crucial on the defensive end, it will also be a major factor on the glass. In each of Cleveland’s last two playoff exits, they were dominated in the rebounding department. Miami must recognize this and crash the boards aggressively to create second-chance opportunities and disrupt the Cavaliers' rhythm.
Both teams have acknowledged each other’s strengths heading into the series. Cleveland guard Isaac Okoro described the Heat as a “fast-paced” team, adding, “Miami loves to switch things around… Of course, they have a great head coach and like to play games with you.” On the other side, Tyler Herro said, “It’s going to be a challenge. They’ve won almost 70 games, got a great offense, but we’re ready.” With both sides well aware of what they’re up against, the focus now shifts to execution and consistency of the game plans heading into game one.
