What does the schedule for the Heat's first-round playoff series vs. the Cavaliers look like?
The Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 on Friday night at State Farm Arena to clinch the Eastern Conference's No. 8 playoff seed and a first-round series against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat enters the series as heavy underdogs despite winning eight of its final 12 regular-season games and two straight road play-in games to punch its ticket to the playoffs.
Only six No. 8 seeds have eliminated a No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs since the current 16-team NBA playoff format was instituted for the 1983-84 season. The Heat was the last team to do it, eliminating the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs on the way to becoming just the second No. 8 seed in league history to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Heat lost its three-game regular-season series against the Cavaliers this season, 2-1.
Here's the schedule for this season's best-of-7 first-round playoff series between the Heat and Cavaliers, with some details still to be determined (all Eastern Standard Time):
Game 1 on Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, 7 p.m. on TNT
Game 2 on Wednesday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Game 3 on Saturday, April 26 at Kaseya Center in Miami, 1 p.m. on TNT
Game 4 on Monday, April 28 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Time and TV TBD
Game 5 on Wednesday, April 30 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Time and TV TBD (if necessary)
Game 6 on Friday, May 2 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Time and TV TBD (if necessary)
Game 7 on Sunday, May 4 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Time and TV TBD (if necessary)
Tickets for the Heat's (White Hot) home games in this first-round series against the Cavaliers are already on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at Heat.com and Ticketmaster.com.
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