"Best I've seen in a while": Stephen A. Smith on Heat vs Hawks' electric finish
Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith was ecstatic to witness the Play-In Tournament game between the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks. The Heat and the Hawks battled for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Ahead of the game, Atlanta was in eighth place while Miami was in 10th.
While Atlanta should've technically had the advantage due to their placement, it was Miami who came out triumphant on Friday night. Stephen A. Smith couldn't help but commend both teams for giving it their all to secure the final slot in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Particularly, Smith gave Tyler Herro his flowers for carrying Miami throughout the game. While Trae Young popped off late in the game, the sports analyst also acknowledged his presence for trying to secure the eighth seed for Atlanta.
"What a game: (Atlanta Hawks) vs (Miami Heat). What a game. (Trae Young) comes on late, as usual. But (Tyler Herro) is flat out balling! Back and forth. What a game. The best I’ve seen in a while," Stephen A. Smith wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Miami is now set to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in a best-of-seven series. Aside from being the top seed in the conference, the Cavaliers have the advantage over Miami. Throughout the 2024-25 regular season, the Cavs have a 2-1 record against Miami.
Miami Heat become first team in NBA history to advance to the playoffs from 10th place
The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks faced off on Friday night in a battle for the eighth seed in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Miami came out on top and became the first team in NBA history to make the playoffs while being in 10th place in their respective conference.
Getting the job done for Miami was Tyler Herro. The new face of the franchise took over and proved that he has what it takes to lead his team. Herro put up 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to carry Miami to victory.
Assisting Herro secure the win were Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Haywood Highsmith. Wiggins was the second-highest scorer for Miami on Friday. Andrew added 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
As for Adebayo and Highsmith, they both gave out double-double performances. Adebayo put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, five assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, Highsmith added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
Given the way Miami performed on Friday as a unit, they seem to be ready to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a run for their money on Sunday.