Miami Heat: A potentially exciting race to the No. 2 seed

About to enter the business end of the season, here’s a look at how the Miami Heat will fare as they jostle for the highest possible playoff seed.

Finishing up with a 1-4 record on their recent West Coast road trip, the Miami Heat were certainly welcoming the All-Star break as a time to recharge and refocus as they look towards the home stretch of the regular season.

Currently placed fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 35-19 record, the Heat are well placed to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. As it sits, they are 4.5 games behind the second-place Toronto Raptors, with the Boston Celtics three games ahead in third place. And with just a 1.5 game gap separating them and the fifth-placed Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat have very little wiggle room as they enter the business end of the schedule.

While the key duo of Meyers Leonard and Tyler Herro are still sidelined for the short term, the continued integration of new arrivals Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder will be one of the key storylines moving forward. And when you weigh this with the confidence gained by Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr. following their triumphs at All-Star weekend, the Heat should be one of the more fascinating teams to follow.

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Given the relative proximity in terms of the records between the second and fourth-placed teams, here’s a look at a basic breakdown of the schedule from these three competing teams:

Miami

• 28 games remaining, 16 home, 12 road
• Just nine of their final 28 games are against teams with a +.500 record.

Toronto

• 27 games remaining, 13 home, 14 road
• 14 of their final 27 games are against teams with a +.500 record

Boston

• 28 games remaining, 13 home, 15 road
• 13 of their final 28 games are against teams with a +.500 record

Not only are 19 of the Heat’s final 28 games against teams under .500, 13 are of these feature teams under .350. When you combine this with a healthy home schedule and just three remaining back-to-back fixtures, the Heat appear poised to finish the regular season in a strong fashion.

In particular, here are some of the key dates from the remaining 28 games:

• March. 2 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
• March 16 at Milwaukee Bucks

Facing the league-leading Bucks twice in the lead up to the postseason should be an excellent measuring stick. While the Heat managed a magnificent win in their sole game against the Bucks, that was back in October with Jimmy Butler sidelined and Justise Winslow running the point.

• March 25 vs. Denver Nuggets

Currently second in the Western Conference standings with a 38-17 record, the Nuggets have been gathering momentum as the season has progressed. Having lost to the Nuggets on the road at the beginning of November, the Heat will certainly be determined to exact revenge this time around.

• April 1 at Boston Celtics

Currently 0-2 in the season series thus far, not only will this be crucial from a confidence standpoint, but it could also help determine playoff seeding with the postseason edging extremely close. But unlike their previous two encounters, the Miami Heat won’t be competing on the second night of a back-to-back, and thus should give both teams an indication of where they currently stand.

• April 14 vs. Toronto Raptors

The final game of the regular season, and like several other games, could decide where teams are placed entering the 2020 postseason. Having won the first two encounters thus far, the Heat will be more than determined to make this a season sweep.

Following a road game against the Atlanta Hawks and a back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat will welcome a five-game homestand, a stretch which should heavily indicate just which direction they are heading towards the postseason.

However with a 22-3 record thus far at the American Airlines Arena, and the uncertainty of the trade season behind them, the Miami Heat appear to be in terrific shape to make a serious assault on the upper echelon of the standings.