Right now, the Eastern Conference is intensely competitive. With only two days remaining in the 2023-24 season, the Boston Celtics stand as the sole team to have secured their place in the NBA playoffs. While the battle between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks for the 2-seed is gaining attention, the most significant narrative in the East revolves around the teams from the 4-seed to the 8-seed, with just a single game separating most of them. Among these teams are the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic, positioned in this range, setting the stage for a potentially exciting outcome with the NBA Play-In Tournament looming.
With the Heat holding a 44-36 record for the season, they currently occupy the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference standings as of Friday. On the other hand, the Magic are positioned higher at the 5th seed, boasting a 46-34 overall record, placing them two games ahead of Miami. Given that two games are left for all 30 NBA teams, there’s a possibility of the Heat and Magic ending up tied with each other.
Numerous scenarios are in play. The Magic have the potential to climb as high as the 3-seed, while the Heat could maneuver out of the play-in region in the East standings. An intriguing possibility involves Orlando descending into the play-in tournament, where they might face off against the Heat in the 7-seed vs. 8-seed matchup. What’s more, one of these teams will inevitably clinch the Southeast Division, setting the stage for a crucial play-in game between division rivals.
How Magic, Heat can meet in play-in tournament
A division winner in the NBA could find themselves in the position of having to secure their playoff berth through the play-in tournament due to the fact that divisions no longer hold significance. Historically, division winners would be awarded top seeds in the conference, but this practice ceased after the 2013-14 season. Nowadays, teams are seeded in the playoffs based solely on their overall record, irrespective of their standing within their respective divisions.
As it stands, the Magic, leading the Heat by two games in the Southeast Division, hold the 5-seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Heat currently occupy the 8-seed, though this could change significantly by the day’s end on Friday.
With all 30 NBA teams in action, the slim one-game leads in the standings could easily evaporate. The current two-game gap between the Heat and the Magic could narrow to just one game if the Magic fall to the Philadelphia 76ers while the Heat triumph over the Toronto Raptors.
For the Magic and Heat to potentially face each other in the play-in tournament despite one of them winning their division, several steps need to unfold. Firstly, as described, the 76ers would need to defeat the Magic while the Heat overcome the Raptors. This outcome would shift Orlando down to the 7-seed, assuming the Indiana Pacers also secure a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Heat also win their game, they would trail the Magic by just one game in the standings.
Indeed, to set the stage for a potential face-off between the Heat and the Magic in the play-in tournament, several specific outcomes would need to unfold. Following the described scenario, the Magic would need to lose to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, while the 76ers defeat the Brooklyn Nets, and the Heat once again triumph over the Raptors. This sequence of events would propel the Heat to the 7-seed and the Magic to the 8-seed in the play-in tournament.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that various scenarios and tiebreakers could come into play, particularly if multiple teams end up with identical records. Despite the intricacies, there remains a slight possibility for the Heat and Magic to square off in the play-in tournament.