Should highest seed or LeBron avoidance be Heat priority?
MIAMI — There was a time, late January to be precise, when the view was from above when it came to considering possible first-round playoff opponents the Miami Heat might host.
A loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers followed, the start of a 1-7 swoon, changing the perspective.
To their credit, the Heat righted themselves to the degree that the mere right to consider playoff possibilities doesn’t come off as presumptuous (thanks to some help from the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets).
The difference now is that the view comes from below, of where the Heat potentially might start the postseason.
The No. 4 seed certainly is mathematically possible, which would provide homecourt and a more favorable matchup. But, for the moment, the most likely landing spot would appear to be somewhere, to use NCAA-bracketing parlance, of the final four in from the Eastern Conference.
So what would be best when it comes to the most competitive possibility?
With just over a month to go in the season, here’s one perspective:
This could happen in a variety of scenarios, the most likely in a No. 4 vs. No. 5 bracketing, with either team capable of homecourt. The other scenario would be for the 76ers to bypass the Cavaliers and claim the No. 3 seed, a real possibility considering Philadelphia’s soft closing schedule, setting them up to play the No. 6 seed, which certainly is within the realm for the Heat.
This would be a delicious possibility, if only for a few additional rounds of Joel Embiid-Hassan Whiteside. The season series not only ended 2-2, but every game involved high drama, both teams fortified by late-season moves, the Heat’s addition of Dwyane Wade, the 76ers’ of Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.
This could play out either in a No. 1-No. 8 scenario or a No. 2-No. 7 matchup, with the Celtics unlikely to drop below the second seed.
For those who forget, the Heat won the season series 2-1. Granted, it was over by Dec. 20, but that’s also when Boston was playing some of its best basketball of the season.
For as much as Kyrie Irving has tormented the Heat over the years, it has not been to the level of what Isaiah Thomas did to the Heat when he was in Boston.
A matchup against the Celtics would provide the Heat with a competitive matchup and the potential to push it to the sevengame limit — unless, of course, Gordon Hayward is worked back into Boston’s mix.
This also either would be a No. 1-No. 8 scenario or a No. 2-No. 7 matchup, although the Raptors’ closing schedule appears to give them the edge over the Celtics for the conference’s top seed.
The Heat are 1-1 against the Raptors this season, with the final meeting to come on the final night of the season, April 11 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat have shown an ability to compete with this Raptors core going back to the Heat’s seven-game ouster in the 2016 Eastern Conference semifinals. The aggregate score between the teams this season stands at Raptors 204-Heat 202.
Of the elite teams at the top of the East, the Raptors could stand as the Heat’s opponent of choice, which could make that season final particularly curious.
About the only scenario that would deliver the Heat’s first playoff series against the Cavaliers (and Dwyane Wade’s first against LeBron James) would be for the Cavaliers to hold at No. 3 and the Heat to end at No. 6.
This is a matchup best avoided by the Heat — if it can be within their control.
For all the sky-is-falling drama regarding the Cavaliers, there won’t be a true read on Cleveland’s roster remix until Kevin Love returns. And Kevin Love has been very good against the Heat over the years.
If LeBron is to be denied an eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, what are the odds it comes in the first round? And what are the odds he allows it to come against the Heat and Pat Riley?
That, more than anything, will make these closing weeks fascinating.
Yes, if the Heat can get to No. 5 or even No. 4, the possibilities of advancing would be there, be it against the 76ers, Washington Wizards or Indiana Pacers.
But if the ultimate end game comes down to fighting merely for No. 6, then a strategic approach to playoff matchups well could be in the Heat’s best interest:
Push for the possibility of advancing, which would mean going all out for No. 4 or No. 5?
Or position for a firstround in a LeBron-free zone, at No. 7 or No. 8?
iwinderman@sunsentinel .com, Twitter @iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ ira.winderman