Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers Game Preview

Thanks to Boston’s 32-point comeback win over the Spurs, Miami is now in a must-win situation. As they head to Cleveland to face the Cavs, they still aren’t worried. They are 2-0 in the head-to-head this season and have gone 10-1 in the past 11 meetings with them. A victory here will help them to keep pace with the Celtics for the final non-play-in spot.

The Heat are 33-30, a half-game behind Boston for the #6 seed in the East. And that being the case, every game they play will be critical. One single loss could doom their entire plan. They cannot come in and lose to a team like the Cavs, though it would feel great for their opponents who are in the midst of a slump and a tough set of games.

The Cavs lost twice last night. Not only did they lose the game (in blowout fashion) to the Wizards, but they also saw Darius Garland get hurt just 90 seconds into the third quarter. Considering all that he has provided, this is a possibly huge loss. They will want to play it safe since it’s late in the season, which means fewer opportunities to build chemistry.

Oh, and if you missed it, the Cavs signed Anderson Varejao on Friday night before the game. Yes, the same guy. Four years since his last game in the league.

Spread

The Miami Heat are heavy favorites, the spread set at MIA -11.5.

Heat Looking for Win No. 34

The Heat have been a good basketball team for a long time. Before LeBron James, they won a title with Shaquille O’Neal gracing the middle for them. And in the years that followed, they fielded some competitive teams, the one year they did not lead them to Michael Beasley. And when LBJ got there, they made four finals in a row.

The Heat shocked us all last year by getting to the NBA Finals, despite having to play in the 4/5 matchup in the opening round. They blindsided the Bucks in round two and were just simply better than Boston in the conference finals.

Here they are again, much worse than a season ago. But the roster is pretty filled out, and they’re looking to beat Cleveland.

Cavs Still Seeking Win No. 22

It has been a bit since the Cavs have emerged victorious. They beat the Hornets last week, but that marks the last time they ended the game with more points than their opponent. The losses have continued to pile up, as a once-promising season will soon officially end in disappointment.

Injuries have ruled the year for them, with Collin Sexton and Garland both missing time on and off throughout the year. There was the Kevin Porter Jr. drama, and he just dropped 50 for the Rockets. It was KPJ who led Cleveland’s comeback against Miami last year, their only win in the last 11 head-to-heads between the Cavs and Heat.

They have a lot to figure out, but tonight it’s all about Okoro. Can he slow Jimmy down to finally get that elusive "Nance" win?