Miami Heat Wild Card

It speaks volumes to the Miami Heat’s culture that, despite having the fifth-most injuries across the NBA, they still managed to surpass the win total of last season’s NBA Finals group. Oozing with upset potential from the moment the postseason arrives, the Heat have won a whopping six different series as an underdog over the past four seasons, and will need to do the same in 2023-24. There remain questions as to if the Heat’s No. 26-ranked scoring offense is up to the task, but a proven track record of ramping it up in high-stakes clashes — and four different players averaging at least 16 points — affords them some benefit of the doubt. Leader among them is six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, one of league history’s premier big-game competitors. Butler and the Heat will be buoyed by the recent return of Tyler Herro, who tied with Butler on the team’s scoring leaderboard (20.8 points each), with Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier in close proximity. As always, Miami is also equipped with talent on the perimeter, headlined by Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin and future All-Rookie team selection Jaime Jaquez Jr., as they seek to finish the job of bringing a title back to South Beach.