The Heat missed the playoffs last season because the Bulls owned the head-to-head tiebreaker against them and when both teams finished with identical 41-41 records it was Chicago that got in over Miami as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference.
Being left out of the postseason is not something All-Star point guard Goran Dragic says he nor his teammates want to experience again.
“I think this group knows,” Dragic said Wednesday when asked if the Heat is aware how valuable each of the team’s final 24 regular season games are and how tight the playoff race in the Eastern Conference is.