Miami Heat Have Easiest Remaining Schedule in NBA
The Miami Heat's playoff hopes might be on life support as they sit eight games under .500 with a banged up Dwyane Wade, but the good news is their remaining 30-game schedule is the easiest in the Association, via ESPN.
Speaking of strength of schedule, take a look at the Heat's slate going forward. Just 13 of their next 30 games are on the road. Of those 13, just five are against teams currently in a playoff spot...
Bottle it all up and you'll find the Heat have the softest remaining schedule in the NBA, according to ESPN's BPI model. By a mile. After adjusting for a variety of factors, the average Heat opponent has a .449 win percentage the rest of the way while the next-easiest slate sits at .463 (Chicago). The toughest games are in Miami's rearview mirror.
The soft slate doesn't guarantee them anything, of course, but for a team bit hard by the injury bug this season, it can't hurt. Up next is a road matchup against the dreadful New York Knicks on Thursday night.