Heat coach Erik Spoelstra anticipates an entertaining contest against the Bulls in Wednesday’s Play-In Tournament.

Not only is this the third straight year that these franchises have met in the Play-In, but the Bulls also swept the three-game regular season series. The Heat ended the Bulls’ season in the Play-In Tournament in each of the past two years. Both clubs have retooled rosters, and the Bulls enter having won 15 of 20. Miami, meanwhile, overcame a 10-game losing streak in March to win eight of its final 12.

“This team did not fold,” Spoelstra said. “Instead, it developed more resolve to try to figure this out. And we became, in the meantime, a much tougher team that’s started to play our best basketball at the end of the season. And that’s what I think we can all feel a sense of collective pride about because it took every single one of us just pouring into the team and pouring into solutions.

“We’re facing a team that’s also played extremely well the last 2 1/2 months. That’s why I think this is set up to be a sneaky, real good game. It’ll be a good game for our fans to watch, both fan bases. Obviously we faced this team twice, two years in a row in the Play-In. We’re looking forward to it.”

With the winner moving on to face Atlanta on Friday for the rights to the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed — and the loser going home — no additional pre-game speeches were necessary.

“Both teams know what’s up, and that’s what makes this fun,” Spoelstra said. “You’ve got to enjoy these kinds of moments.”