The NBA regular season is reaching its climax, and all eyes are now turning toward the Playoffs. Before the official postseason begins, the Miami Heat will face the Chicago Bulls in the 2025 NBA Play-In, a format introduced few seasons ago to intensify the competition for the final playoff berths.
Designed to bring added drama and competitiveness to the end of the regular season, the Play-In Tournament functions as a mini postseason bracket to determine the final two seeds in each conference.
The teams that finish 7th through 10th in the standings participate in this stage. In the Eastern Conference, the four participating teams are: Orlando Magic (7th), Atlanta Hawks (8th), Chicago Bulls (9th) and Miami Heat (10th)
What happens if the Miami Heat lose to the Chicago Bulls?
A loss to the Bulls would mark the end of the NBA season for the Heat. They would be officially eliminated from postseason contention and miss the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat dribbles the ball against Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls during the fourth quarter at the United Center on April 09, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
What happens if the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls?
If Miami defeats Chicago in the Play-In, they would advance to face the loser of the 7 vs. 8 matchup, which, in this case, is the Atlanta Hawks. The winner of that game would claim the 8th and final seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
see also
2025 NBA Playoffs picture: Bracket, key dates and schedule
What happens if the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls tie?
If the game is tied at the end of regulation, a five-minute overtime period will be played. If necessary, additional overtime periods will be held until a winner is determined. The outcome of this game is critical to the Heatās postseason aspirations.
