Miami Heat, Red Hot
Twelve games ago, the Miami Heat were 11-30. Their chances of a playoff push appeared dim and out of reach. Pat Riley was talking about rebuilding; about finding his young core; injuries were racking up, among them Justise Winslow and Chris Bosh; not to mention they’d lost ten of their last eleven. But that was twelve games ago. In the NBA, standings are about as stable as a bridge made of playing cards; anything can happen. And in the past twelve games the Heat have reversed their fate. They’ve won twelve in a row, and now find themselves in a position to make the playoffs.
You have to wonder where this surge came from. They seemed decimated and destined for a top pick in the lottery. Now they’re the talk of the league. Which is especially crazy considering their below-.500 record. Consider this: by winning twelve straight, the Heat have set the record for the longest streak by any sub-.500 team in NBA history; not to mention, they’ve tied the Warriors for longest streak of the 2016-17 season. Needless to say, Erik Spoelstra’s job is looking more secure than ever.
Speaking of the Warriors, a last-second three-pointer courtesy of Dion Waiters spoiled an otherwise perfect stretch of road games for Curry and Co. With .6 seconds to go, Waiters hit the game winner to solidify the second of two consecutive 33 point performances. After missing a long stretch of games, he has come back strong. In the past ten games, he’s averaging 22 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.1 rebounds a night. He’s become a dependable force for the team during this streak, especially with his clutch trey against the Warriors.
“He’s not scared. He’s not afraid,” said Spoelstra. “He’s fearless. He wants those moments as much as anybody.”
But this streak has been a team effort. Hassan Whiteside has been leading the league in rebounds all season long, but during this stretch he’s stepped things up offensively as well. Through the past ten, he’s averaged 16 points and 13.2 boards; in February alone, it’s 22.5 and 16.8. He’s been a monster. On February 4, Miami hosted the 76ers. In 27 minutes of play (mind you he’s averaging 33 this season) Hassan dropped 30 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. This isn’t the first time he’s done that this year. Back in November, he snagged 25 boards against Atlanta. A month later he put up 26 points and 22 boards. But his consistency in February has been especially significant.
Going forward the Heat have the fourth easiest schedule in the NBA. So there’s a solid chance they might sustain this moment, make some important moves before the trade deadline, and come out looking to contend. Whether that’s feasible remains another story. Twelve games ago, Miami was thinking ‘rebuild.’ Everything has changed in that amount of time. Suddenly, the media’s wondering if they’ll make a play for Serge Ibaka; they’re talking about which power forwards are available to give them the extra push. They’re currently two games out of the eighth seed in the East, and 3.5 games out of seventh.
It’s an interesting place to be. And the crossroads are pretty clear: make a serious push for the playoffs or spend the rest of the season middling around. As of now, they’ve made two signings that appear to be signaling towards the latter, towards a late season playoff push. Their two signings are Onkoro White and Marcus Georges-Hunt; both are capable of playing all sides of the ball. They’re both quite young, but if Spoelstra can find a way to plug them in they might just have the extra umph they need.
Still, as exciting and unprecedented as this winning streak is, you’ve got to wonder if the Heat aren’t actually shooting themselves in the foot. 2017 is slated to be a stacked draft, especially at the top. And it’s going to require nothing short of a miracle for the Heat to make a serious run at the title. With the eighth seed, they’ll face LeBron James and the Cavs. Chances are it’s going to end right there. Not to be pessimistic. It’s amazing that an injury-riddled Heat could beat the Warriors as they did. But could they do that night in and night out for a seven game series? This is pure speculation and we can’t reasonably expect the team to just give up halfway through the year. It’s over. They’ve irrevocably changed their stars in 2017. They’ve won twelve in a row, and they face the league’s worst team on Friday. Miami’s fate is sealed at this point. They’ve got to make a push.
And, in the context of a top-heavy league, it might just make for the season’s most exciting story.
