Sometimes the NBA slows down enough to allow you to take stock.

Thursday stood as that day for the league and for the Miami Heat, with the lone game on the schedule involving the only two teams eliminated from the playoffs, the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.

That makes the Heat’s place at the top of the Eastern Conference as simple as 2, 3, 4.

Two games ahead of the second-place Milwaukee Bucks, three games ahead of the third-place Philadelphia 76ers and four games ahead of the fourth-place Boston Celtics.

It also creates a moment to consider what will follow.

Heat remaining schedule: The softest spot on the Heat’s schedule ends Friday, when they close their season-longest seven-game homestand, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose seven-game losing streak is by far the longest in the league.

From there, there will be a more balanced split of six home games and five road games.

Of the Heat’s 11 games after Friday’s against the Thunder at FTX Arena, only three will remain against teams with little or no chance in the play-in or playoff races: March 25 at home against the New York Knicks, March 28 at home against the Sacramento Kings and the regular-season finale on April 10 in Orlando.

Run for No. 1: Should the Heat win the games they will be significant favorites (Thunder, Knicks, Kings, Magic) and split the remainder, it would produce an 8-4 finish and 54-28 final record.

With Heat tiebreakers virtually clinched against the Bucks and 76ers due to superior conference record, an 8-4 finish for the Heat would mean the Bucks would need to close 11-1 to finish ahead at No. 1, and the 76ers would have to go 13-1.

In addition, if the Heat close 8-4, the Celtics would have to close 12-0 to claim No. 1 over the Heat (by virtue of having won the season series).

Sixth sense: This could be a season when No. 3 in the East comes with the opportunity for safest passage to the second round.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors each at 39-30 and tied for No. 6, it is likely one of those two will emerge with the No. 6 seed, locked in to play No. 3.

The Cavaliers and Raptors each stand four games ahead of the No. 8 Brooklyn Nets, who, as of now, only will have Kyle Irving for three of their final 12 games, because of his non-vaccinated status.

By New York City mandate, Irving (at the moment) remains ineligible to play at the Nets’ eight remaining home games as well as their April 6 game at New York. That makes a run at No. 6 (and safe passage from the play-in round) increasingly tenuous for Brooklyn.

Play-in drama: This is where it gets dicey, very dicey, for Nos. 1 and 2 in the East.

Not only would such a team have to wait until as soon as two days before the April 16 start of the playoffs to learn their opponent, but one of the two could wind up facing Kevin Durant, Irving and the Nets in the first round (possibly at a juncture when Irving’s New York City ban is lifted).

In the play-in round, No. 7 hosts No. 8, with the winner being the No. 7 seed and playing at the No. 2 seed.

The loser of that game then faces the winner of the game No. 9 hosts against No. 10, with the No. 8 seed, and a series at the No. 1 seed, resulting.

At the moment, the Nos. 7-8 game would have the Nets playing at the Raptors. Winner of that game would be No. 7 and play No. 2.

The loser of Raptors-Nets would host the winner of Atlanta Hawks (No. 10) at Charlotte Hornets (No. 9). The winner of that game would be the No. 8 seed and start the best-of-seven first round at No. 1.

So, yes, No. 1 could potentially wind up facing the Nets (possibly with Ben Simmons, too, by then) or a Trae Young-led Atlanta Hawks team that advanced to last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

Game 82 drama: The NBA has yet to set the start times for games on April 10, with all 30 teams playing on that final Sunday.

So while there could be seeding manipulation potentially at play on closing night (the Heat are in Orlando), deft scoreboard watching also could come into play.

Among Eastern Conference games of note on closing night are Indiana at Brooklyn, Milwaukee at Cleveland, Boston at Memphis, Detroit at Philadelphia and Chicago at Minnesota.

It also could be a night when tanking takes priority for teams such as the Magic, Pacers and Pistons.

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