NBA play-in games taking shape: Heat-Hornets, Magic-76ers are set
MIAMI (AP) — Inside the Miami Heat locker room on Sunday night, everybody's eyes were on a giant television set showing the end of the Orlando-Boston game. With good reason. It decided a whole lot in the Eastern Conference.
The East postseason matchups — as many as can be known at this point, anyway — are now set. Miami goes to Charlotte for a play-in game on Tuesday, while Orlando goes to Philadelphia for a win-and-you're-in game on Wednesday. The Orlando-Philadelphia winner will play No.
2 Boston in Round 1, while the Orlando-Philadelphia loser will play the Miami-Charlotte winner on Friday to decide who plays No. 1 Detroit in an East quarterfinal series. Also now set: first-round meetings between No.
3 New York and No. 6 Atlanta, along with No. 4 Cleveland and No.
5 Toronto. Game 1s in those series will be next weekend. “Our group understands what wins and loses for us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.