With a 101-98 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, our Miami Heat finally clinch a spot in the 2018 NBA Playoffs. After missing the postseason last year due to losing a disappointing tiebreaker against Dwyane Wade’s former team, the Chicago Bulls, securing this spot feels like redemption.
Shooting guard, Josh Richardson, shared with the Miami Herald how his feelings now differ from last year’s. “Different ends of the spectrum,” he said. “Last year, guys huddled in and crying and mad and sad and now we’re excited and we’re ready for the next few games and we get to see that second season.”
courtesy of: The Palm Beach Post
While they are very excited for what’s to come, they are also aware of the hard work that awaits them. Goran Dragic, point guard, says, “Really satisfied, really happy we made the playoffs. This is in the making one year and a half. I am not counting the first part of last season, only the second one. We are really happy we made it but we’re still not done. Still four games left. We still need to compete. We don’t want injuries to happen.”
The team that just barely missed the playoffs last year was able to put in work all season and make sure they made it this year. The fact that the team is made up of almost the same guys this year as the last, makes it all the more satisfying to redeem themselves in this way. Coach Erik Spoelstra explains, “I just told the team when I walked in that it felt a lot different walking into this locker room tonight than it did just about a year ago on the last game. There’s only one way with this group and that’s the hard way. It took us a year to grind and make amends for last year. We put everything we had into it and one game short. But we were able to finally get that check mark next to our name.
courtesy of: The Palm Beach Post
“The guys that were not with us last year, we also mentioned that everything that we went through, they inherited our experiences. The bulk of the team that came back, we felt that the guys earned the opportunity to get another crack at it and it’s gratifying to see the team find a way to persevere, show some resilience to be able to get it done. So many close games. And like I said, this is just the path of this team. It has to be written like this. So we’re in, but hopefully we’re not stopping. We still have four games to continue to try to secure this or move up depending on what’s happening in the next few minutes.”
While the Heat have made sure they have a spot in the postseason, it is still undecided who they will be facing in the first round. Depending on how the last games of the season play out, Miami could play Cleveland, Boston or Philadelphia. In the face of uncertainty, though, the team is not fazed. Shooting guard, Dwyane Wade, comments, “They’re all very very good teams. It doesn’t matter who we match up with. We’ll have our work cut out for us.” He adds, “Other matchups have more storylines than others.”
courtesy of: The Palm Beach Post
No matter the opponent, it is certain: the Heat is on.
The Heat face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, April 9th, at 7:30pm.