2024-25 Eastern Conference First-Round Preview: No. 8 Miami Heat v. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers

2024-25 Eastern Conference First-Round Preview: No. 8 Miami Heat v. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are officially! In the third of four series-opening games on Sunday, the No. 8 Miami Heat face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, who overachieved after they were expected to finish toward the middle of the East heading into the season.

What should we be looking out for from each team in this series? Let’s dive into our series preview below!

GAME	DATE	MATCHUP	TIME (EST)	TV
Game 1	Sunday, April 20	Heat @ Cavaliers	3:30 p.m.	TNT
Game 2	Wednesday, April 23	Heat @ Cavaliers	7 p.m.	NBA TV
Game 3	Saturday, April 26	Cavaliers @ Heat	7 p.m.	TNT
Game 4	Monday, April 28	Cavaliers @ Heat	TBD	TBD
Game 5*	Wednesday, April 30	Heat @ Cavaliers	TBD	TBD
Game 6*	Friday, May 2	Cavaliers @ Heat	TBD	TBD
Game 7*	Friday, May 4	Heat @ Cavaliers	TBD	TBD

What to know about the Miami Heat:

Starters:

• Tyler Herro
• Alec Burks
• Andrew Wiggins
• Bam Adebayo
• Kel’el Ware

Key Reserves:

• Davion Mitchell
• Haywood Highsmith
• Duncan Robinson
• Kyle Anderson

The Miami Heat had their worst season in a decade, losing at least 45 games for the first time since 2014-15, the year after the Big 3 split apart. Yet, they became the first team in NBA History to win two play-in games on the road, dismantling the Chicago Bulls before surviving a late scare against the Atlanta Hawks.

For whatever it’s worth, Miami is 12-4 with a 12.5 NET Rating over its last 16 games. Collectively, the Heat are playing some of their best basketball of the season. But Cleveland will pose a completely different challenge than Chicago or Atlanta did. This will also be the second year that Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo will be tasked with leading the Heat without Jimmy Butler.

What to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Starters:

• Darius Garland
• Donovan Mitchell
• Max Strus
• Evan Mobley
• Jarrett Allen

Key Reserves:

• De’Andre Hunter
• Ty Jerome
• Isaac Okoro
• Sam Merrill
• Dean Wade

One season removed from getting ousted by the Boston Celtics in five games, the Cavaliers had one of the best seasons in franchise history, finishing 64-18 and was two games away from tying the franchise record in wins. They started the season on a 15-game win streak and were the most dominant team in the East all season.

Cleveland outpaced the rest of the NBA in offense while posting the third-best NET Rating. Behind one of the league’s best foursomes in Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen, it placed in the top-3 in effective field goal percentage, made 3-pointers, turnover percentage, effective field goal percentage allowed and 2-point percentage allowed.

The Cavaliers’ combination of size, shooting and versatility all around is one of the best in the NBA and a huge reason why they are where they are, though they still have to capitalize on this two-year window. Can they this year? We’ll see!

Key Questions:

1. Can Miami’s (new) double-big lineup match Mobley, Allen?

Head coach Erik Spoelstra has deployed a double-big lineup for the last three months with Bam Adebayo and first-round rookie Kel’el Ware, one of the best young bigs in this most recent class. In over 1,000 possessions together, they posted a 4.2 NET Rating with a defensive rating that graded in the 110.4 percentile. However, Mobley and Allen provide a different challenge than anything they’ve faced lately.

According to Cleaning The Glass, Cleveland grades in the top-15 percentile in NET, offensive rating, effective field goal percentage and defensive rating when those two share the floor together. We know Adebayo is one of the best defenders in the NBA, but a lot will be on Ware’s plate to do the same if the Heat want to make this series competitive.

2. Cleveland won’t get complacent … right?!?

The Heat may have won 37 games, but they aren’t going to go down without swinging relentlessly. Whether they actually connect is another story, but Miami won’t lay down and die after the first punch.

Cleveland didn’t end the regular season as smoothly as one would like, but it didn’t play down to competition. It is far more talented than its counterpart, but we know how well Erik Spoelstra is at this time of year. Cleveland can’t be complacent just because they’re a No. 1 seed, which is unfamiliar territory for this core.

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