Entering the first week of December, the Heat have posted a 14-3 record. While they are currently the second best team in the East, behind the 16-1 Pacers, they have not disappointed nor surprised anyone. They are playing amazing basketball and currently have the longest winning streak in NBA with 10 straight victories.
To start off the season, the Heat were not in championship form. Their home opener against the resurgent Bulls lived up to the billing. But in the end, the contest was not even close and Miami sent out an early message that they are still the best in the business. But one night after their emotional win over Chicago, they travelled to Philadelphia to take on a young and inexperienced 76ers squad. On paper, it seemed like an easy win for the Heat, but there were more factors at play. And not surprisingly to some, the Heat lost 114-110. And to make matters worse, they lost very uncharacteristically. Miami was leading in the 4th quarter but fell apart in the end, as they were outplayed by rookie Michael Carter Williams who had a historic first career game. To the Sixers, that game could be viewed as their Super Bowl (beating the champs in your home opener), but to Miami it was another game, and one not to worry about.
After a one point loss to Brooklyn dropped them to a 1-2 record, the Heat stayed content with their play and leader LeBron James mentioned to everyone that the best is yet to come. He was right because everyone knew that this was not Miami Heat basketball. And sure enough, the tide would change.
Miami answered that loss to the Nets with three straight victories over the Wizards, Raptors and Clippers. And to some sports aficionados, that matchup against Los Angeles could have been viewed as a possible Finals preview. But as they do in big meaningful games, Miami rose to the occasion and took out the Clippers on their home court; Dwyane Wade led the way with a notable 29 point performance.
Then, on Saturday Nov. 9, the Heat took on the lowly Celtics in Miami. If you watched that game, you could say the Heat were more concerned about what nightclub they were going to hit up that night, instead of the game at hand. They let the Celtics hang around the whole game, and despite having a multitude amount of chances to seal the deal, Miami played lazy basketball. With 0.6 seconds left in the game, the Heat were up two with Wade at the line for two costless throws. Seems like an easy win, right? Wade missed the first costless throw, then ill-advisedly missed the second costless throw on purpose as his shot completely missed the rim. That resulted in an official stoppage of the game and gave the Celtics the opportunity to inbound in Miami’s backcourt. So down two, with 0.6 seconds to go, the Celtics needed a quick catch and shoot from beyond the arc to steal the game. And they did just that. Jeff Green buried the buzzer beater from the right corner to shock the entire stadium with the most improbable of all victories.
Afterwards, James expressed his disappointment in himself and the team for their lack of defensive effort. But he promised that Miami would rebound and play better, and they most certainly have.
Following the Boston loss, the Heat have been on a tear. Winners of 10 straight, their defence is playing lights out. They have given up 100-plus points only once, to the then #2 scoring team in the league, the Dallas Mavericks. Take into consideration that Miami has not had the toughest schedule, but their opponents all ramped their game up to take on the champs. But they have all come up short. The two playoff teams they defeated were the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, and they were both a walkthrough for the Heat. Also, some strong recent performances on the road against the Cavaliers and Raptors have the Heat playing in mid-season form.
Right now, the best and most productive player in the league is James. He is the highest-rated player in overall efficiency and scoring, and second place isn’t even close. James is averaging 26.2 points-per-game. He is shooting 60% from the floor, second in the league only behind Pistons center Andre Drummond. His three-point and costless-throw shooting are significantly better than his career-highs. And the one knack people have had on him in the past is his perimeter jump shots, those 16 and 18 footers are now no longer a problem for him.. Right now, in my eyes, he’s the best jump-shooter in the league. Yes, even better than Kevin Durant and Kevin Love. Until I see a slump, I want the ball in Lebron’s hands when the game is on the line. Because if you’ve seen any Heat games, you know that he’s hitting everything. If he keeps this pace up, he’ll have his 5th MVP locked up by January.
Looking ahead into December, Miami’s schedule gets tougher. But we all know that’s nothing they can’t handle. Their biggest matchups come up on a four-game road trip that starts on Dec. 5th, when they take on the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons and most importantly, the Pacers on the 10th. And just 8 days later, the Heat and Pacers play each other again in Miami. Most likely, these will be the games that set the tone as to who is most likely to end up with the #1 seed in the East.
Miami is playing smart and injury-costless basketball right now, despite All-Stars James, Wade and Chris Bosh playing career-lows in minutes. Their bench has stepped up greatly, and new comer Michael Beasley is having a spectacular start to his season.
We all know the post-season is their #1 priority and getting there healthy means everything.
And with the team firing on all cylinders, look for Miami to pick up wins in bunches as the season continues.