Miami Heat Seek NBA Playoff Series Upset of Top-Seeded Cleveland Cavs
The Miami Heat have already made history by becoming the first team to win their way into the NBA playoffs with a pair of victoires and now look to make more by taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A No. 8 seed has defeated a No. 1 before – six times, actually – but never with a disparity in wins as great as the 27 that separated Cleveland and Miami during the ’24-’25 season. Only Oklahoma City (68) posted more victories than a Cavs squad that finished 64-18.
The Heat were only 14 wins behind the 58-win Milwaukee Bucks when they knocked them off two postseasons ago en route to the NBA Finals, and it took Giannis Antetokounmpo missing two-and-a-half games to aid the cause.
Before Miami’s triumph over the Bucks, it took Derrick Rose tearing his ACL in Game 1 against Philly to change that series. The Heat were on the receiving end of an 8-over-1 upset at the hands of the hated New York Knicks in 1999, five years after Dikembe Mutomob block parties highlighted the Nuggets taking down the SuperSonics in becoming the first team to pull off this rare feat.
The “We Believe” Warriors and “Grit-and-Grind” Grizzlies have also pulled off this type of upset, so maybe this “Imperfect 10” Heat can continue to make history after losing 10 in a row last month.
That run of futility ironically began in Cleveland the last time these teams squared off against one another in the Heat’s only trip to C-land. This will be the first time these franchises will have ever met in the playoffs. Since Miami swept Cleveland 3-0 in the 2020-21 season, the teams have split their last 14 meetings. Below is a snapshot of how the ’24-’25 matchups between these teams unfolded:
Dec. 8 – Miami Heat won 122-113 at Kaseya Center
The Heat’s lone win came against a Cavs team that came in at nearly full strength, missing only ex-Heat standout Max Strus. Jimmy Butler hit a halfcourt buzzer-beater just before the break and made big plays in the fourth to seal the victory, so that won’t carry over. Tyler Herro did finish with 34 points, hitting five of Miami’s 16 3-pointers, while Bam Adebayo went for 16 points, 13 boards and six assists. Donovan Mitchell was held to just 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting and Evan Mobley played just over 11 minutes before exiting with an ankle injury.
Jan. 29 – Cleveland Cavaliers won 126-106 at Kaseya Center
Mobley made his presence felt with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Mitchell poured in 34 points and hit five 3-pointers. The Cavs survived seeing a 59-41 halftime lead cut to single-digits as Miami pulled off a 43-point third quarter, but ultimately won a game it never trailed in. Herro (22 points) and Adebayo (21 points, 9 boards) were effective, while Terry Rozier added 22 points off the bench on 8-for-13 shooting in one of his best games in a brutal season. However, the Heat allowed 54 percent shooting and were outrebounded 47-35.
March 5 – Cleveland Cavaliers won 112-107 at Rocket Arena
Miami blew a game it led 98-91 with under seven minutes left, squandering a 34-point, 12-rebound game from Bam Adebayo. Herro and Andrew Wiggins were sidelined, Rozer played over 40 minutes and Kevin Love started, so there’s only so much that can be taken from this one, but Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson did see extensive action and produced. Cleveland trade deadline acquisition De’Andre Hunter scored 16 points off the bench and should be comfortable against a Heat team he knows well from his many years with the Hawks, while Donovan Mitchell led the way with 26 points to help the Cavs extend their win streak to 12. Miami would go on to lose its next nine.
Takeaways: Miami won the rebounding battle in its lone victory, so persevering on the glass will have to be a point of emphasis. It’s no coincidence that Mobley’s extended absence coincided with the Heat’s dominance on the glass. Herro and Adebayo have had strong efforts against the Cavs, so they should come in confident. The combination of Strus and Hunter will likely be an x-factor in both this series and in Cleveland’s postseason run.
Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected]
