MIAMI \u2014 It is crunch time for the Heat.<\/p>\n
With just four games to play, Miami is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference<\/a>. Although they are 10 games ahead of the 11th-place Bucks, a spot in at least the play-in is secure. But the Heat do not want to participate in the play-in tournament again, and they definitely do not want to be the No. 10 seed,<\/a> which would force them to win two road games to advance. They want to get a top-six spot, skip the play-in tournament and earn a spot in the playoffs.<\/p>\n With two games against Toronto, which holds the No. 7 spot and is two games ahead of Miami, one game against current No. 5 Atlanta and one game at home against the dreadful Wizards left on the schedule, it is still possible.<\/p>\n The Heat kick off a crucial three-game road trip with a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Raptors in Toronto on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201c(The team has a) great attitude,\u201d guard Tyler Herro said Monday. \u201cVibes are high. It\u2019s the best time of the year for us right now. We want to, obviously, make it into the playoffs, make a run. But we\u2019re working on our defense right now, trying to get that \u2026 back on track and everything else, just trying to get right.\u201d<\/p>\n Said forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.: \u201cWe\u2019ve got four games left, and we\u2019re going to try to make the most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fortunately for Miami, it will be closer to full strength when it starts this road trip. Guard Norman Powell, who has missed four games as he recovers from an upper-respiratory illness, is expected to play. The Heat listed powell as probable on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling better,\u201d Powell said Friday.<\/a> \u201cIt was a long week of being sick, out of it, fatigue, body aches, not really being able to move or get out of bed.<\/p>\n