NBA betting: Why you shouldn't overlook the Heat come playoff time - ESPN

Are the «Playoffs Heat» a thing?

Can the Miami Heat flip the switch again this season, making another run deep into the playoffs and possibly back to the Finals?

Let's explore.

According to ESPN BET, the Heat are tied with the Knicks for the third-shortest odds to win the East at +1100, far behind the favored Celtics (-125) and Bucks (+310) and just ahead of the Cavaliers (+1200) and 76ers (+1500).

Overall, the Heat are tied with the Mavericks for the ninth-shortest odds to win the Championship at +3000, again far longer odds than the favorites (Celtics +225, Nuggets +375, Clippers +550) in a cluster of lower tier favorites including the Lakers and Timberwolves (+2500) as well as the Knicks (+3500), 76ers (+3500), Cavaliers (+4000) and Warriors (+4000).

Complete your bracket by selecting the winner for each game of the 2024 men's NCAA tournament. Play Men's Tournament Challenge

On the surface, this would seem optimistic for the Heat based upon how they've played this season. The Heat are currently seeded eighth and on pace to be in the Play-In tournament in the East. They have the 16th-best record in the NBA, currently sporting a 54.7 win percentage, and rank 13th in the league in the Basketball Power Index (BPI) with a score of 1.9 (behind the 12th place Suns at 2.9, ahead of the 14th place Knicks at 1.3).

But, this version of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo-led Heat teams has already demonstrated that their regular season performance doesn't necessarily correlate with their playoffs outcome. The Heat have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the previous four seasons, despite finishing fifth-or worse in the regular season standings three times. In that stretch, they've made the NBA Finals twice:

•