I would hazard a guess that playing the Miami Heat in the preseason is not as difficult as taking them on in the postseason.
Twice in the last four years, the Miami Heat have come out of the Eastern Conference. In neither situation were they favorites in any round outside of maybe the first, yet the “Heat Culture” continued to prevail until they reached the Finals, losing 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 in the Disney World Bubble, and 4-1 last year to the superior Denver Nuggets.
Obviously, the would love to capture some of that magic.