Miami clinched the eighth seed in the playoffs following a loss to the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks and a win over the 10th-seeded Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament.
On January 10, 2023, the team set an NBA record by shooting 40–40 on their free throws during a one-point home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
They would later break that Knicks team's record for wins in a postseason by an 8-seed by notching their 13th victory of the 2023 playoffs when they won Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
One night later, the Florida Panthers lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights; that series also ended in five games, and in the winner's home arena, giving the South Florida region the rare distinction of having two different teams lose the finals of their respective sport on consecutive days.
[8] They initially had a second-round pick which was forfeited due to tampering violations with respect to Kyle Lowry and free agency in 2021.