Heat announces ticket info for first round of ‘White Hot’ playoffs. And Strus, the closer?
The Miami Heat formally clinched a playoff spot with Wednesday’s road win over the Boston Celtics, and playoff tickets will soon go on sale.
The Heat announced late Wednesday night that individual tickets for Round 1 home games of the 2022 playoffs will go on sale to the general public on April 6 at 10 a.m. “White Hot” will serve as the Heat’s playoff theme for the first time since the 2018 postseason.
Miami, which sits in first place in the Eastern Conference with five regular-season games remaining, will open the postseason either April 16 or 17. The Heat will very likely begin the playoffs at FTX Arena, but it has not yet clinched a top-four seed in the East to claim home-court advantage in the first round.
There will be a four-ticket limit per household, per game. Fans can purchase tickets online at Heat.com and Ticketmaster.com.
Tickets for all four potential first-round home games will be available for purchase, with the last two only played if necessary. Purchased tickets for any unplayed games will be automatically issued a refund by Ticketmaster, including fees (except UPS and retail pickup fees). Those who purchase tickets at a retail location can secure a refund by returning tickets for unplayed games at the same retail location where the tickets were originally purchased.
This marks the 23rd time the Heat has clinched a playoff spot in the franchise’s 34 seasons, and the 21st time in 27 seasons since Pat Riley joined the organization in 1995. This is also the 11th time the Heat has qualified for the playoffs in Erik Spoelstra’s 14 seasons as head coach.
STRUS, THE CLOSER
Heat forward Max Strus didn’t just make his second consecutive start in Wednesday’s win against the Celtics, he also played the role of closer.
Strus played the final 7:40 of the game, entering with the Heat trailing by five. During his stretch to close the game as part of a lineup that also included Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami outscored Boston 21-8 to come away with a 106-98 win.
Strus blocked two shots and drew a charge in the final three minutes, and also finished the victory with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting on threes and seven rebounds. He played over P.J. Tucker and Duncan Robinson to close the game.
“Just to be solid,” Strus said of his goal late in Wednesday’s game. “Make it so that I could stay on the court, honestly. Just be solid defensively and be there for my teammates because they’ve always got my back.”
