Norman Powell made it clear that the Miami Heat main goal for the rest of the season is to avoid the play-in tournament and secure a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Miami Heat picked up a strong 136–120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, but the biggest takeaway came from Norman Powell after the final buzzer.
With 24 games left in the regular season, Powell made it clear what is at the top of Miami’s list.
“We want to get out of the play-in. So we’re locked into it, we know what we need to do, obviously. Nobody’s gonna come help us,” Powell said per Heat reporter Zachary Weinberger. “It’s all on us, controlling what we can control as a team, putting our best foot and best effort forward to give us a chance to get out of that.”
For the past three seasons, Miami has finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and had to battle through the play-in tournament to secure a playoff spot. This time, the goal is different.
Credit Image AP – Scanpix
Powell knows the only way to move up is by stacking wins and taking care of business each night.
“Obviously, we want to have [teams] have a little downfall while we’re kicking into gear and getting these wins,” Powell continued. “But we’re focused on how we need to play and how we need to compete every single night.”
After Saturday’s win and the Orlando Magic losing to the Phoenix Suns in double overtime, the Heat improved to 31–27. That puts them seventh in the East.
The sixth seed is currently held by the Philadelphia 76ers at 30–26. With the standings tight, every game down the stretch carries playoff weight.
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