Huge opportunity for Miami Heat in East: Ethan Skolnick takes five
Hey it’s Ethan Skol for five on the floor in the five reason Sports Network this is the latest take five sponsored by prize pick use the code 5 fve to get your initial deposit matched up to $100 of course no longer legal in the state
Of Florida but you can play in 31 other states so the Miami Heat hosts the Philadelphia 76ers tonight and this is a big big game we don’t have a status yet on Joel embiid or on Tyrese Maxi or Tobias Harris all are listed as questionable we’ll find out closer to
Game time no Tyler here again tonight he’s playing only 36 games and I think at this point until he’s back on the court we just shouldn’t count on him but the heat are still in good position they’re in the six spot percentage points ahead of Indiana as a result of
The Pacers losing to the Nets and I’ve said all along that the heat could only really lose two more games in this stretch and one of them better not be against Indiana it’s better if another one is not against Philadelphia either because they’re a game and a half up on
The Philadelphia they can pretty much put Philadelphia away in terms of chasing them if they beat them today and of course they’ve already beaten the Sixers at home on Christmas no embiid in that game either but there was also no Jimmy Butler and in this game Jimmy is
Expected to play if he gets off the horse that he was riding yesterday in all the social media posts anyway they heat need to get this one or at the very least they need to get Sunday against Indiana because if they can go three and two in these next five I believe they
Will get out of the playin because those last two games are against the Toronto Raptors and the Raptors have now lost what 14 straight games and it appears they’re losing on purpose they’re sitting guys they’re trying to keep a spot in the bottom six of the league
Because if they get a top six pick they keep the pick this year otherwise they lose it so again if Miami can get to those last two games with already 45 wins I believe they’ll end up with 47 and that’s should be enough to get out
Of the playin now the other Factor here is the Eastern conf is falling apart this is all falling into Miami’s hands Julius Randall shoulder surgery maybe should have had it about a month ago he didn’t I don’t know that he would have been back at this point but it was
Pretty clear that he was not close to coming back they still New York do not have ogan and Obi back either Cleveland Donovan Mitchell seems to be forcing his way back in with a bad knee did not look good in Phoenix yesterday their health has been a problem as well so the heat
Who have had health issues all season long with the exception of hero in pretty good shape right now whereas other teams in the Eastern Conference outside of Boston are struggling either with injuries or in Milwaukee’s case with poor coaching and inconsistency so this is all opened up
For Miami just get out of the playin draw who you draw I think they’ll be favorites against Cleveland Orlando maybe even against this New York team just again don’t get stuck in the play in having to play Philadelphia in a one game situation instead get the win
Tonight this is Ethan skolnick for five on the floor and the five and Sports Network
#MiamiHeat #NBA
