Last week this space admittedly was a bit about the glass half empty, with reasoning why the timing for dipping into the lottery could pay dividends for the Miami Heat.
This week, we turn to the glass half full, at least from a Heat perspective, to assess the playoff possibilities.
Unlike last season, when anything other than what eventually proved to be a No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference might have felt like coming up short, the expectations are significantly more modest, with Dwyane Wade and gone and Chris Bosh out of the picture.
So, as always, we start with the most basic of premises for a team looking to get into the postseason: Which seven teams in the 15-team Eastern Conference won't make it?
The initial math is relatively simple.
