Predicting Outcome of Every Miami Heat Game in April

Time really is going by too fast.

Yesterday, we were talking about business jargon and how there might not even be a 2011-12 NBA season.

Today, we're a month away from the postseason. It seems unbelievable to think, but we're actually a month away from one of the most exciting months in sports. A month that features the 16 best teams in the NBA going at it for the sole purpose of winning a title. We'll be witness to gutsy performances, clutch play and shattered dreams over a four-week period, and we wouldn't want it any other way.

The Miami Heat should also be gearing up for the playoffs. They've been playing .500 basketball since the All-Star break and either appear to be tired or saving up their energy for the playoffs. The Heat's offense has become stagnant, fastbreak points are nonexistent and the defense has become lazy. They're still winning games, but they're struggling mightily at some juncture in just about every game.

This April, the Heat will face off against some of the NBA's top teams. In fact, they play the Eastern and Western Conference's best teams a combined three times. They play 16 games with 10 of those games against teams that are possibly playoff bound. They do get the benefit of playing in only six road games, however.

Let's take a look at the Heat's April schedule and predict how each game plays out.

April 1: At Boston

Previous matchups

Dec. 27: Miami 115, Boston 107

The NBA schedule-makers really wanted to make the Miami Heat's final stretch of the year as their most difficult span of games.

Before going on to play the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in a week and the Chicago Bulls twice in the span of a week, the Heat get the benefit of playing on the road against the always-dangerous Boston Celtics.

While the team has lost some of the luster and talent that propelled them to a number of deep postseason runs, the Celtics are still currently 17-8 at home and always containing the ability to make things click and play an extremely efficient game of basketball.

Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett don't have the same amount of athleticism that they had years ago. However, they still have chemistry on their side as well as an excellent knowledge of how to win games. This team has never had the most talented or most athletic roster, but they know how to win games, and it explains why this team has made it at least to the semifinals since the big three was formed.

The Celtics will always be a challenge to the Heat as long as they keep the big three, and Rajon Rondo, intact. Rondo in particular, as he has lit up Miami a number of times in the past. He had 22 points, 12 assists and eight boards in his last meeting with the Heat, but was also forced into turning the ball over seven times.

Miami has been slumping and haven't played on the road that well since the All-Star break. Unfortunately for them, the Celtics are going to run an efficient offense and play their usual stingy defense.

Prediction: Boston 98, Miami 92

April 3: Vs Philadelphia

Previous matchups

Jan. 21: Miami 113, Philadelphia 92

Feb. 3: Miami 99, Philadelphia 79

March 16: Miami 84, Philadelphia 78

For a team that has been at the top of a division that also features the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers sure don't seem to play like a division leader whenever they take on the Miami Heat.

The Sixers have played the Heat three times this year, and each game has been a blowout at one time or another. The Heat dominated the first two matchups and was up by as much as 29 points in the third meeting before taking their foot off the gas pedal and allowing Philadelphia to come back. Solid execution down the stretch, especially from Udonis Haslem, kept the Heat ahead for good.

The first three games of the series certainly don't appear to show the Philadelphia 76ers that gave the Heat a few scares in last year's first round of the postseason. Even though the Sixers lost in five games, they were still contending for the game in the fourth quarter in all but one of the contests. The Sixers strong defense, balance and use of depth was key in their lone win, as well as the close losses.

This year, however, the Sixers haven't been in the same league as the Heat. They're not getting much of an offensive output from anyone in particular and are failing to keep up with the Heat's volatile offense. Simply put, they don't have the resources to contest with the Heat, nor the heart, as they haven't turned any of their games against the Heat into something worth watching.

Prediction: Miami 103, Philadelphia 90                                                                                                   

April 4: Vs Oklahoma City

Previous matchup

March 25: Oklahoma City 103, Miami 87

The Miami Heat aren't a team that likes to get embarrassed.

Well, who would? Of course, a team that's deemed as elite losing to another elite team by 16 points on the road isn't something to be proud of. Especially a team like the Heat that's held in high standards as the team to beat. Opposing teams make sure to circle the calendar whenever they play the Heat. You won't see that with teams like the Chicago Bulls or Oklahoma City Thunder.

There's some sort of mystique in this obsession of defeating the Heat. Sure teams will try their hardest every game and just as hard against teams like the Bulls or Thunder, but teams will always go to the greatest lengths to defeat the Heat. It's a nothing-to-lose mentality where no one feels sorry for you if you lose and everybody celebrates if you win.

The Heat take getting embarrassed personally. You may remember last season when the Heat dropped a game on the road to the San Antonio Spurs by 30 points. The Heat were blown out, and the game was essentially over by the end of the first quarter. The two teams played each other a few weeks later back at the American Airlines Arena, with the Heat prevailing by 30 points.

A story of two different teams. The Heat are a team that like to play with their backs against the wall. They love a challenge, and they enjoy the scrutiny they receive when having a suspect game against a specific team. Don't you remember how badly the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks in their third and final meeting this year after dropping the first two games of the series?

The Heat will take this game personally. The defense will be tighter, the offense will be more aggressive and there won't be another 21 turnovers. With the game back in the friendly confines of a stadium they're 20-2 at, the Heat should prevail in one of their biggest regular season games.

Prediction: Miami 105, Oklahoma City 97

April 6: Vs Memphis

The first of two Western Conference opponents the Miami Heat will play in the month of April, the Memphis Grizzlies come to town in their first and only meeting with the Heat.

The two teams split the two-game series last year. Rudy Gay hit a game-winner at the buzzer to defeat the Heat during their slow 9-8 start, but the Heat came back with a blowout win back home a few months later after they started to get a better feel for each other. Once again, it was a story of different teams, as we saw an inexperienced Heat team against a team with a few months more of experience together.

Although you would believe the Heat should beat a team like the Grizzlies without too much resistance, it's actually quite the opposite, as Memphis' strongest aspect happens to be the Heat's weakest. We're talking about the frontcourts, where the Grizzlies sport one of the NBA's best with Rudy Gay at the three, Zach Randolph at the four and Marc Gasol at the five.

There isn't too much to worry about Gay considering LeBron James will be defending him, but there is plenty to be concerned about when you take Randolph and Gasol's rebounding into account. Both players are walking double-doubles and would easily pound a team on the boards that doesn't have the size or doesn't put in the effort.

The Heat are going to need effort to best Randolph and Gasol. There aren't too many weapons in the backcourt, so they'll need the guards to also play down low in order to contend for rebounds and disrupt the rhythm of the Grizzlies power forward and center.

We'll definitely see plenty of Ronny Turiaf, as well as some Dexter Pittman in order to counter the Grizzlies' size. Memphis' ability to rebound will pose a problem at first, but the Heat should walk away with a win nevertheless.

Prediction: Miami 98, Memphis 89

April 8: Vs Detroit

Previous matchups

Jan. 25: Miami 101, Detroit 98

March 23: Miami 88, Detroit 73

Peppered in with the number of elite teams the Heat have the pleasure of facing, they'll get a short rest with a game against the Detroit Pistons for the third time this year.

The game against Detroit ends a streak of playing four consecutive teams that will end up in the playoffs, as well as a stretch of games where the Heat played seven playoff-bound teams out of eight games.

The Heat will be extremely excited to play against Detroit, and they'll most likely look at it as a time to relax. Therefore, we shouldn't be surprised to see this game decided in the fourth quarter if the Heat are going to take a relaxed approach after a number of consecutive games against elite and above-average opponents.

Detroit has given trouble to Miami this season. They had a lead in the final minute in their first meeting, but missed free throws and LeBron James hitting 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 60 seconds allowed the Heat to prevail.

The second game was less of a contest, as the Heat took a huge lead going into the half. They saw that lead dwindle below 10 points, but recovered to win by a substantial 15-point margin. The 73 points the Pistons scored was the lowest amount of points the Heat allowed all season long.

The Heat will play sloppy as they play down to competition again, but they'll win because they're the better team.

Prediction: Miami 90, Detroit 79

April 10: Vs. Boston

The second of three meetings between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the month of April has the two Eastern Conference foes facing off at the American Airlines Arena as the Heat finish off a five-game homestand.

The Heat have been close to unbeatable at home. Their only losses came to Atlanta and Milwaukee, with their last defeat at the Triple-A coming 14 games ago. Much different from the team last year that was actually just as good on the road than they were in the friendly confines of South Beach. Nowadays, the Heat are a superior team when it comes to contest's at the American Airlines Arena.

Boston and Miami's only meeting of the year occurred during the Heat's home opener. The Heat rocketed out to a fast start with a double-digit lead at halftime, but relinquished it, as their half-court offense failed to execute efficiently. By the end of the game, the Heat were relying on rookie Norris Cole to hit a few mid-range jumpers to avoid an embarrassing defeat.

Cole won't have as much an impact. He's run into the proverbial rookie wall and isn't shooting as well and isn't getting to the cup as much as he did prior to the All-Star break.

However, the big three and the rest of the squad should pick up the pieces. They love playing at home, and it's not because of the crowd, based on their inaudible reaction to incredible runs and plays. My theory is that they enjoy playing at home more this year is because of the compact schedule and the tough road trips that have thrown them off.

With this being the fifth consecutive game at home and the Heat having previously lost to Boston, as predicted at least, Miami should come back with a close win.

Prediction: Miami 102, Boston 94

April 12: At Chicago

Previous matchups

Jan. 29: Miami 97, Chicago 93

March 14: Chicago 106, Miami 102                           

Chicago Bulls fans are celebrating the fact that their team was able to triumph the Miami Heat without Derrick Rose.

This isn't a good thing. Because the Heat lost to the Bulls playing without Rose, does that mean Tom Thibodeau is going to start giving John Lucas III more minutes because of how well he played? After all, Rose has been awful against the Miami Heat since the Eastern Conference Finals. Maybe it would be smarter to throw in a third-string point guard over the reigning MVP.

Or not. The fact is that the Bulls played that game with a better flow and rhythm because there wasn't one player dominating the ball and attempting to take matters into their own hands. You had a balanced effort with guys like Lucas, Kyle Korver, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson all playing a large part. It's tough to imagine that the Bulls are able to get positive performances out of so many players when Rose is dominating the possession.

In the first meeting, the Heat were able to beat the Bulls handily before succumbing to an epic collapse that nearly led to a loss. When LeBron began to guard Rose in the fourth quarter, the Bulls lost their lone source of offense and weren't able to establish any sort of rhythm because the point guard was attempting to work his way into his own rhythm.

This time around, both teams should be healthy, with the possible exception of Mike Miller still being out to mend his ankle. Either way, this is going to be a tough game for the Heat, as they enter a hostile environment against a team that straight up does not like them and what they do.

Chicago enjoys winning regular season championships, and they'll end up winning this game to continue the Heat's struggles on the road.

Prediction: Chicago 98, Miami 91                                                                                                                                                     

April 13: Vs Charlotte

Previous matchups

Dec. 28: Miami 96, Charlotte 95

Jan. 1: Miami 129, Charlotte 90

The schedule-makers decided to go easy on the Miami Heat this time.

Instead of piling up elite opponent after elite opponent, they decided to give the Heat a break by scheduling a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats after matchups with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

It will be the perfect bounce-back game for the Heat as they look to gain their confidence back after a predicted demoralizing loss to the Bulls.

Plain and simple, the Charlotte Bobcats are terrible and have no chance in winning this game. We still have no idea how the Heat needed to hit a game-winner in order to win the first contest of the three-game series, but we quickly came back down to earth, as the Heat defeated the Bobcats by 39 points less than a week later back home.

There's not too much to say about this game. The Heat are really good, and the Bobcats are really bad, and that's about it.

Prediction: Miami 115, Charlotte 85

April 15: At New York

Previous matchups

Jan. 27: Miami 99, New York 89

Feb. 23: Miami 102, New York 88

So it turns out that the month of April isn't all that bad. Sure, the Heat get to face the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder a combined six times, but they also get the benefit of this stretch of games that will feature the team playing four teams that may not make the playoffs.

The New York Knicks are still a wild card. Top to bottom, they probably have the best roster in the NBA on paper. Think about it. Baron Davis at point, scorers in Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, a great defensive stopper in Tyson Chandler and unbelievable sharpshooters in J.R. Smith and Steve Noavk off the bench.

The Knicks have it all, except for one important thing: chemistry. There's a lot of talent on this team, and nobody knows what to do with it. A whole bunch of guys that can score a myriad of ways and a few standout defenders, yet this team is one of the most disorganized and poorly run in the NBA because of the lack of chemsitry and cohesion between the players on the floor.

The offense doesn't flow well with two pure scorers and sub-par point guards, and there's little to no committment on defense, which is a recipe for disaster. That's what we're getting out of the Knicks this year, as we're experiencing a disappointment of epic proportions. This isn't like the Heat last year, where they adjusted and made things work out. This is a team that has key players not making the proper adjustments.

The Heat killed the Knicks the first two meetings in Miami, and they're going to do it again as the Knicks plan to play without Amar'e for the next month.

Prediction: Miami 106, New York 91 

April 16: At New Jersey

Previous matchups

Jan. 7: Miami 101, New Jersey 90

March 6: Miami 108, New Jersey 78

See what I mean by easy games? While it's tough to call any game that features professional athletes as an easy win for one side, this game, as well as the past two and one more that I will mention, are easy compared to the gauntlet that the Heat are going to be put through.

When you have multiple games against elite opponents, you deserve a break with consecutive games against Charlotte, New York and New Jersey.

The Nets are out of their league. They have Deron Williams, and they'll probably have Brook Lopez by this time—although it might be smarter to just shut him down for the rest of the year—but it won't be enough against a Heat team that has too many weapons. The Nets don't have the offensive intensity nor the aggressiveness on defense to compete with the Heat.

The Heat have already beaten the Nets twice this year, with their latest victory coming by 30 points in Miami. They rocketed off to a fast start in the first meeting before coasting the rest of the way to a 11 point victory in New Jersey.

Since Dwight Howard didn't head to New Jersey, this is going to be another easy Miami Heat victory.

Prediction: Miami 104, New Jersey 84

April 18: Vs Toronto

Previous matchups

Feb. 5: Miami 95, Toronto 89

This is the third meeting of the year between the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors, with the second meeting coming a few days from now to end an uneventful month of March.

That game will be the lone contest North of the border.

Toronto is 8-18 on the road. It's 8-16 at home, so it doesn't really make much of a difference. The Raptors aren't too good at the Air Canada Centre, and they're not really good outside of Toronto, either.

While the Raptors have suffered more losses by three points or less than any other NBA team, I can just about guarantee that this game won't be decided by three points. The Raptors have potential with guys like DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani going off from time to time, but it's not enough against a Heat team that features far more talented weapons.

Chris Bosh is sure to have a field day against the Raptors, who will either allow Bargnani to defend him or move 'Bargs' back to center and then start Amir Johnson or Ed Davis at power forward in order to provide some sort of deterrence. Chances are unlikely that Bargnani is going to be able to limit Bosh when he can barely defend decent power forwards.

This is the last of four consecutive games against sub-par opponents as the Heat look forward to a huge matchup of elites the very next day.

Prediction: Miami 102, Toronto 89

April 19: Vs Chicago

The fourth and final showdown between the Eastern Conference's two top teams, this might also be the most significant, as it could carry playoff implications.

The Chicago Bulls currently hold a three-and-a-half game lead over the Miami Heat for first place in the East. It's a substantial margin, but one that the Heat could easily reach if they take advantage of the heavy number of home games they have in April. If they can beat the teams they're supposed to and win a game or two against an elite opponent, they could be fighting for the No. 1 seed by this point.

It'll mean a whole lot by the end of the season if the teams are tied for the No. 1 spot. A win by the Heat would split the season series, if the predictions go according to plan, and it would be up to the conference record to decide who gets the No. 1 seed. Luckily for the Heat, they have the chance to bolster that record with those four games we previously mentioned.

They'll have to start before in those games against Boston, Oklahoma City and their meeting with Chicago the previous week. Those will be pivotal games for the Heat if they still have aspirations of obtaining their first No. 1 seed since 2005. If they're able to win those games, it would make this game against the Bulls a lot more meaningful than expected.

The last meeting of the year between these two squads occurs in Miami, where the Heat won the first game of the series by four points. LeBron James nearly lost the game on offense for the Heat, but he played staunch defense on Derrick Rose once again. His defense and some unfortunate missed free throws by Rose gave the Heat the victory.

This will be the best game of the four, as both teams are looking to gain some momentum heading into the postseason. The Bulls will be playing for a season series victory, but the Heat will be looking to create a tie. Knowing how well they play when they don't want to get embarrassed, they should walk away with a close and deserving victory.

Prediction: Miami 101, Chicago 97

April 21: Vs Washington

Previous matchups

Feb. 10: Miami 106, Washington 89

The Miami Heat play the Washington Wizards three times this season.

Two of the meetings come in the final week of regular season play. Questionable schedule-making once again, but one that definitely benefits the Heat, as they can possibly look forward to two nearly guaranteed wins in the final week of the season to give themselves momentum heading into the playoffs.

I hate to say guaranteed, but there's no conceivable way the Wizards can defeat the Heat in their house. They might have speed in John Wall and size in the recently-acquired Nene Hilario, but they don't play enough defense and don't have the discipline to keep up with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of this Heat team.

The Heat won the previous meeting by 17 points, as they turned a close game into a blowout once the fourth quarter came around. It was the first of two meetings at the Verizon Center.

The Wizards have potential. We can at least give them that. There's a lot of talent on the team that needs to be harnessed and guided because every player on this roster plays as if they were never involved in a team sport.

It's simply incredible to see how inept a team with so much young talent can play on a consistent basis.

Prediction: Miami 110, Washington 95

April 22: Vs Houston

The Miami Heat's last Western Conference opponent of the year until a possible date with a lucky team in the NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets come to town to cap off a four-game homestand, as well as the Heat's final home game of the year.

That's just so unfortunate to a Rockets team that will most likely be fighting for playoff seeding by this point in the season. In the middle of contending for a seed that they're currently half a game back of, the Rockets get the pleasure of going to Miami in order to play the Heat in their final home of the year in a stadium where they're 20-2.

That's not to say the Rockets don't have a chance. They played the Heat well on both occasions they played them last year. Unfortunately, they had to deal with Dwyane Wade scoring 45 points and the fact that they don't play defense all that well. The Rockets surrendered well over 100 points in both meetings, which were losses.

This is going to be an entertaining game to say the least. Houston is a team that likes to run and has the players to make it happen. Point guard Kyle Lowry has been playing underrated excellent basketball all season, and Luis Scola has continued to assert his authority as one of the best offensive post players in the league.

The Rockets have also been dealing with a slumping Kevin Martin all year. The usually consistent and pure scorer is struggling to average only 17 points per game on 41 percent shooting. He's still converting two three-pointers per at a 35 percent clip, but his lack of scoring in volume and not contributing much as far as rebounding and passing goes has hurt the team.

The Heat will finish off their time at the American Airlines Arena in style with an impressive and exciting win over a desperate Houston team.

Prediction: Miami 114, Houston 103

April 24: At Boston

The fourth and final meeting, and the third meeting of the month, between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics takes place in the unfriendly confines of TD Garden.

The Heat have been playing shoddy basketball at road over the past month, and it'll be interesting to see where they're at by the time they go to Boston near the end of the month. A game on the road in a hostile environment like Boston is exactly what the Heat will be running into when the playoffs come around.

Also, this could be the preview of a first-round matchup. The Heat seem to have the second seed on lock, barring a collapse by the Chicago Bulls or a sudden surge by the Orlando Magic, and the Celtics seem to have the seventh seed on lock as well with the eighth seed still undecided and Atlanta holding a two-game lead over Boston for the sixth seed.

The Celtics could overtake that sixth seed, but they'll need to start winning at a pace that they haven't been at all year.

This game is huge for both teams in terms of momentum. They both want this last win in order to ride into their playoff series as the last team to win between the two. Tiebreakers don't mean anything in this situation. This is all about going into the playoffs with the right mental state, and both teams are going to hold that in high regards when going into this.

Both squads know that they'll be taking each other on in the playoffs. This game will come down to who takes it more seriously, and with the Heat unlikely to give the Celtics any sort of confidence heading in, we'll predict that they take this game and the season series 3-1.

Prediction: Miami 98, Boston 92

April 26: At Washington

The final game of this wild and almost forgotten 2011-12 regular season comes to a close for the Miami Heat with a road game against a division rival in the Washington Wizards.

It is the third meeting of the year and the second meeting in the span of a week between the two teams.

It's easy to say that the Heat are going to end up winning this game because they're the Heat and they're playing the Wizards, a team so disjointed and immature that not even a possible Hall-of-Fame coach in Flip Saunders could get any sort of message across. The Wizards are awful, and they're not even close to the same level as the Heat.

However, I have plenty of reason to believe that the Heat are going to rest Wade, James and Bosh for this game barring that they will be playing for some sort of playoff seeding. By this point, we'll just assume that they have the No. 2 seed locked up, don't want to risk any injuries and end up starting Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier.

Even then, are the Wizards even good enough to compete with that? John Wall and Nene Hilario are good, yes, but what else does this team have? Jordan Crawford? Rashard Lewis? Trevor Booker? These are talented players, but not players that can work together and beat a Heat team that's sporting nothing but bench players in the starting lineup.

Neither team will be excited, but expect plenty of Dexter Pittman and Norris Cole.

Prediction: Miami 89, Washington 85