Battle-tested Miami Heat ready for top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (right) in action against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu on April 18. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

UPDATED Apr 20, 2025, 04:24 PM

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CLEVELAND – Fifteen years after LeBron James left north-east Ohio to take his talents to South Beach, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat meet in the National Basketball Association (NBA) play-offs for the first time.

Miami locked up their berth with a 123-114 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks on April 18, becoming the first initial 10th seed to qualify through the play-in tournament.

They also tied a franchise record with their sixth straight play-off appearance.

Miami’s next challenge is much tougher. The eighth-seeded Heat must knock off the top-seeded Cavaliers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 1 is on April 20 (April 21, Singapore time) in Cleveland.

“It’s validation for us to be here and everyone knows when you get to this point, anything can happen. For us, it’s understanding we’ve got four-to-seven more games and see what happens,” said Miami power forward Bam Adebayo, who had 17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and five assists at Atlanta.