The Miami Heat are looking to recreate the magic from last season where they went from being the eighth seed to reaching the NBA Finals in a miraculous run. However, they first have a play-in tournament matchup Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers as Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro spoke about their confidence level heading into the contest.

Miami has momentum as despite being unable to avoid the aforementioned tourney, they ended the season on a two-game winning streak, both against the Toronto Raptors at home. After the regular season finale win, Adebayo said that the Heat are going into the outing facing the 76ers “confident.”

“We’re going to go out there, play and compete and let the chips fall where they may…We’re going into this confident,” Adebayo said. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs throughout this season, these past seasons actually, and this is the time of the year where our backs are against the wall and you start to find out who everybody is.”

Herro says Heat “know what we’re stepping into” against 76ers

While there is no doubt that Adebayo will be crucial going into this game on both ends of the floor, his teammate in Herro will also be integral as a spark Miami needs on offense to match Philadelphia’s stars like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Herro himself spoke about the upcoming matchup and said that because the two teams have battled before, “we know what we’re stepping into.”

“Just take it to another level, this is the time of the year where hopefully it can bring the best out of us. Individually and as a team, we want to be playing our best basketball at this time of the year,” Herro said. “Obviously, we played Philly multiple times and we know what we’re stepping into. It won’t be easy, but it’s a challenge that us competitors are looking forward to.”

Herro has returned to the Heat lineup after missing 20 games with a foot injury specifically labeled as “right foot medial tendinitis.” Now, with other injuries to Miami guards like Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson, the 24-year old will especially be huge to facilitate, score, and more importantly to stay healthy.

“I’m just trying to be healthy as an individual and as team, whatever we can do to win. I think the thing we take away from last year is just that anything can happen,” Herro said. “Obviously, it’s not ideal to be in the No. 7 or 8 spot. But we’re here and that’s our reality. We can make moves from wherever we’re at.”

Adebayo talks about how other teams have schemed against Heat

Adebayo is sure to have his hands full against the 76ers as he will be primarily defending Embiid who is one of then top big-men in the league on both sides of the ball. However, the matchup between Adebayo and Embiid is always a must-watch since the former is elite on defense and the latter is the same on offense. Emiid is averaging 34.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent in 39 contests as he comes back from a significant injury.

While that is to be expected, Adebayo’s offensive game has improved each season as he added another piece to his arsenal as he’s been attempting and making three-point shots. On the other hand, he alongside his star teammate in Jimmy Butler, gets most of his production inside the paint which other teams have been packing as the University of Kentucky product comments on the strategies used against them.

“For sure, it just speaks to how better me and JB (Butler) has gotten these last two seasons, just shows the growth in us,” Adebayo said. “Obviously coach has put us in great positions to be successful so, during the game, in our film sessions, during timeouts, while you’re resting, we’ll figure it out from there.”

If the Heat can get past the 76ers on the road Wednesday night, they move on to face the No. 2 seeded New York Knicks as the seventh seed in the first round of the playoffs. On the flip side with a loss, they have one last chance to get out of the play-in tourney and host the winner of the 9-10 seed matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.