"Miami enters Sunday's matinee showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers at 10-6. It's the first time since the end of 2023-24 that they were four games above .500. The Heat's first 15 games were also expected to be the most arduous section on their schedule. And it all came without Tyler Herro, who's recovering from foot surgery. Yet, they lead the NBA in scoring and pace with the fourth-best defense, 10th-best effective field goal percentage, 11th-best true-shooting percentage and 12th-best offense."
"According to Tankathon, the Heat have the fourth-easiest schedule left (based on opponents' combined winning percentage). Currently, they are on a 51-win pace. To go 53-29, they would have to go 43-23 the rest of the way. Miami is playing great basketball right now. But every team (and player) will have peaks and valleys throughout an 82-game season. Heck, do you think Miami will get past 48-50 wins, let alone reach 53? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!"
Preseason projections had Miami winning roughly 48.5 games in 2021-22 and around 37.5 for 2025-26. Basketball Reference currently projects the Heat to finish as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Miami sits at 10-6, their first four-games-above-.500 mark since the end of 2023-24, and reached that without Tyler Herro while he recovers from foot surgery. The team leads the league in scoring and pace and ranks among the top in defense, effective field goal percentage, true-shooting percentage and overall offense. Strength of schedule metrics show a difficult early slate and an easier remaining schedule, putting them on roughly a 51-win pace.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
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