As last season’s NBA Eastern Conference playoff race showed, some games matter more than others, with the Miami Heat closing two games ahead of the rest of the field and the next three teams tying for second, requiring head-to-head tiebreakers to sort seedings.
Against that backdrop, and with the release of the Heat’s 2022-23 schedule, a look at 10 spots on the calendar of particular significance for Erik Spoelstra’s team:
— Oct. 19 vs. Chicago Bulls: Opening night for the Heat comes at FTX Arena for the third time in the last four seasons. It is the third time in the franchise’s 35 seasons the Heat open a season at home against the Bulls, going 1-1 in those games so far, including the 108-66 humiliation in 2006 after winning the NBA championship four months earlier. Among those on this season’s Bulls roster are former Heat players Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr.
