Heat's Latest Win Comes With Major Coincidence
Both the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls are no strangers to the NBA Play-In Tournament. The two teams have met in the Eastern Conference Play-In three years in a row, with the latest installment coming in the No. 9 seed game on Wednesday night.
Despite being the lower seed and having been swept by the Bulls in the regular season, the Heat came away with a 109-90 win to keep their season alive. The victory had more implications than just this year's tournament, however - it also marked the third year in a row Miami has ended Chicago's season.
Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In 2023, the Heat disposed of the Bulls with ease in the No. 8 seed game, earning the former a postseason berth that would result in the Cinderella run of a lifetime. Miami made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets in what proved to be Jimmy Butler's final postseason hurrah in South Florida.
Advertisement
One year later, the two squads met once again in the final round of the play-in with a trip to the playoffs on the line. The Heat emerged victorious once more, as Tyler Herro secured a near triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine asissts to lead his squad to a 21-point victory. Miami would go on to lose a five-game first round series against the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Fast forward to 2025, a matchup with entirely new ramifications for both teams. Rather than meeting in the No. 8 seed game, the Heat and Bulls were pitted against each other as the bottom two squads in this year's play-in. The winner would advance to play the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the playoffs. The loser's season would be over.
Despite being the underdog this time around, Miami once again staked its claim of superiority over Chicago, cruising to a 109-90 victory over Chicago to secure play-in bragging rights for yet another season. The Heat will now hit the road once more to take on the Hawks this Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Related: Heat Send 6-Word Message After Play-In Win
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN names controversial Ohio State football play as one of the 25 best since 2000
ESPN names controversial Ohio State football play as one of the 25 best since 2000 As an Ohio State football fan, there are likely a dozen or so plays etched in fans' memory banks, plays that they'll remember forever. There's the "85 yards through the heart of the south" play against Alabama in the CFP semifinal, and two plays from this past season alone on the way to a College Football Playoff national championship. We all remember Captain Jack's scoop and score against Texas and the "Third and Jeremiah" long pass play against Notre Dame to seal the national title in Atlanta. Going back further, "Holy Buckeye" was my generation's play when quarterback Craig Krenzel connected with Michael Jenkins for a go-ahead touchdown and ultimately winning score against Purdue. Ohio State doesn't win the 2002 BCS national championship without it. But what if you aren't an Ohio State fan, but just a college football fan in general? What plays would make the cut if we went back to, say, 2000, and started to rank them? Luckily for all college pigskin fans, ESPN attempted to do just that by identifying the top 25 college football plays since 2000, and there is one memorable, seismic play that may have altered two programs' national trajectories. The play ESPN ranked as No. 10 is the pass interference call against Miami (FL) when Chris Gamble went up and tried to haul in a pass from Krenzel on fourth down in the corner of the end zone. Talk to a Buckeye fan, and it was clearly interference, but talk to a 'Canes fan or other fans that loathe the colors Scarlet and Gray, and it was questionable at best, especially since the flag came out after what seemed like an eternity. Here's what ESPN's Andrea Adelson said about the play. Perhaps the most questionable pass interference call in college football history, the penalty on Miami's Glenn Sharpe in overtime in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl prevented the Hurricanes from repeating as national champions and cementing their dynasty. With one play left to keep their season alive, Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel dropped back to pass on fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line, throwing for Chris Gamble in the end zone. The pass fell incomplete, and Miami players and staff ran onto the field in celebration. Except ... Terry Porter, the field judge, threw a flag several seconds after the play ended, a delay that added to the mass confusion that followed and resulted in the widespread second-guessing of the call (for those outside Columbus, Ohio, that is). The officials huddled and called pass interference on Sharpe. With a fresh set of downs, Ohio State scored to send the game into a second overtime and won the game 31-24. OSU fans may be a little upset due to the fact that the heading of the play is titled "Champions*," yes, with an asterisk. History will show that this play will forever be a controversial one, and how you view it likely depends on your rooting interests. They call that confirmation bias, and it is as prevalent in college football as it is in our politics these days. But hey, Ohio State landed on the positive side of this one and brought home its first national championship in 34 years at the time, so we'll take it.
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Luka Doncic reacts to Don Nelson ripping Mavericks for trading him
Luka Doncic reacts to Don Nelson ripping Mavericks for trading him 127 days after the trade, former Mavs head coach Don Nelson discusses his Luka trade protest… with Luka's former coach Rick Carlisle right next to him — Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 8, 2025 Recently, during an NBA Finals press conference, Don Nelson was given the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years as a former NBA head coach. His head coaching career started in the 1976-77 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he spent 11 seasons there while guiding some very good and underrated teams. Today's fans perhaps know him best as the head coach of those Dallas Mavericks teams in the early 2000s that were among the first to play modern-day "pace and space" basketball. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 as a head coach. At the press conference, Nelson showed solidarity with the Mavericks franchise while protesting the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. He wore a pair of Doncic's sneakers and had the following message. "Luka, too, my dear friend, in fact, I want everybody to know I am wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike," Nelson said. "Just got on the market. I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him -- and I want everybody to know that." Doncic, in turn, tweaked Nelson a bit with a post on Instagram. Luka with a message for former Mavs Head Coach Don Nelson on his IG story: 'Congratulations Coach! Nice shoes!' — Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) June 9, 2025 Before Nelson became a head coach, he had a successful 14-year playing career in the NBA. He actually spent two seasons early in his career with the Lakers, but he played 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, a franchise he won five world championships with in the 1960s and 1970s. His last coaching gig ended with the 2009-10 season when he was at the helm of the Golden State Warriors during Stephen Curry's rookie year.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
NBA rumors roundup: Latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jason Kidd, more
NBA rumors roundup: Latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jason Kidd, more While the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder play in the NBA Finals, the rest of the league is already focused on all of their offseason moves. After the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was "open-minded" about his future. There are plenty of other rumors floating around the league right now, including a coaching vacancy in New York after they moved on from Tom Thibodeau. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently predicted that the offseason will happen "faster than normal" this summer and that the majority of the action will happen around the 2025 NBA Draft. Here are the latest updates about the biggest storylines to follow over the course of the next few weeks. Giannis Antetokounmpo There is no bigger story in the NBA than where Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will land if he is traded. While the Mavericks were briefly floated as a potential option when they surprisingly landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the franchise reportedly plans to select Cooper Flagg. Other rumored destinations include the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, and the Spurs are the favorites. The superstar was also recently linked to the Toronto Raptors, which would shake up the Eastern Conference. It is worth noting that Antetokounmpo recently stated that he hopes to return to the NBA Finals with the Bucks. Windhorst reported that the 2021 NBA Finals MVP has not asked for a trade and that Milwaukee is not looking to trade him. Meanwhile, per Jake Fischer, talks have "significantly stalled" of late as well. More: The Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee ended in embarrassing fashion Kevin Durant According to Windhorst, there are a "handful" of teams who will have interest in trading for Kevin Durant. Charania pegged that number as between four and six and one of those teams is the New York Knicks, who reportedly made an offer for Durant at the NBA trade deadline. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs are a potential destination as well. In fact, The Ringer's Bill Simmons believes that Durant to San Antonio is already a "done deal" and just awaiting an announcement. The Spurs likely would not have to include the No. 2 overall pick in such an agreement. If the Bucks don't end up making a deal for Antetokounmpo, the Raptors may also have interest in Durant. The Clippers have been linked to KD as well. Additionally, the Suns are reportedly dangling Durant for the Rockets in an attempt to regain some of their draft capital from the franchise. While there was initially some speculation the 76ers may have interest in Durant using the No. 3 overall pick, NBA insider Marc Stein has debunked those theories. More: Kevin Durant's journeyman career is kinda sad Jason Kidd When the Knicks decided to move on from Tom Thibodeau, there were several candidates who we believed could take over for him. (There were also a few candidates, like Jay Wright, who we speculated are unlikely to take the job.) Although he is currently employed by the Mavericks, one name to keep an eye on is Jason Kidd. More: Jason Kidd may have to choose between the Knicks and Cooper Flagg New York would likely need to include a draft pick to acquire Kidd from Dallas and, per Windhorst, there is "mutual intrigue" between the two parties. Dallas would have to grant permission for New York to interview Kidd, however, and may not have much incentive to do that unless they had a different head coach in mind to replace him.
