Twenty four days. Five teams. Three playoff spots.
The race for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference should be compelling, as compelling as any bottom-tier playoff race can be.
The Heat enters Monday’s ninth in the conference at 34-36, the same record as No. 8 Detroit but losing the tiebreaker to the Pistons (at the moment). Miami stands one half game behind No.7 Milwaukee (34-35) and just 1.5 behind No. 6 Indiana (35-34).
The Heat is 3.5 back of No. 5 Atlanta.
The Heat’s 12 remaining games include eight against teams that are currently in playoff position.