Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
TV execs unimpressed
As far as networks are concerned, Heat are local story
MIAMI — The Miami Heat’s 13-game winning streak turned into a national story. The Miami Heat have not.
The Heat’s next two road games had been scheduled for national television until the Heat’s losing record got in the way. So Monday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks was removed from TNT’s schedule, with Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic eliminated from ESPN’s schedule, the league announced Friday.
In the place of those games will be Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets on Monday night and Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. The Heat’s nationally stricken games remain available in South Florida on Fox Sports Sun, as well as NBA League Pass.
The upshot is the Heat solely will remain local fare for the balance of the season barring any changes in the other direction.
“Of course I’d want fans to watch us play,” said center Hassan Whiteside, as the Heat turned their attention to Saturday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers at American-Airlines Arena. “But that’s a decision the NBA makes.”
With national games including additional timeouts and a longer halftime, there are those who prefer the typical timing.
“I don’t even care,” guard Goran Dragic said. “It’s nice to fly under the radar.”
But players also want to be part of meaningful moments.
“Of course everybody wants to play on national TV, but it is what it is,” Dragic said.
Whiteside said he was unaware that the league adjusts the national-television schedule based on teams’ records, but said the consolation for those who want to see him play is the games remain available nationally on paid-subscription League Pass.
“I still think the national game carries a lot of weight,” he said. “But the basketball fans, they’ve got League Pass. But the average fan and most people, they get to see the national TV games as a big deal.”
Dragic said as long as games can be found somewhere, he knows someone will be watching back in his native Slovenia.
“For me, that’s huge,” he said, “because even back in Europe, where my parents are watching the games, they go on the League Pass.”
No LeBron?
The Heat could get a break in terms of competition, if not star power, next weekend with the Cleveland Cavaliers arriving Saturday night to AmericanAirlines Arena on the second night of a back-to-back set.
With Cleveland to play 12 of 17 on the road in March, coach Ty Lue told reporters in Cleveland that he plans to sit players along the way. LeBron James already has sat out one of his return trips to South Florida after leaving the Heat in 2014 free agency.
“We’re gonna rest guys coming in March,” Lue said, with the Heat hosting the Cavaliers on March 4 and then playing in Cleveland on March 6. “We’re going to rest guys and the other guys got to step up like we’ve been doing all season.
“We’ll be ready. But we’ll have a decent amount of cushion, I hope, when we rest those guys..”
Methodical
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he would take a methodical approach with guard Josh Richardson, who returned Friday in Atlanta after missing the previous 19 games with a sprained left foot.
“Everything is fluid right now,” he said. “So the fact that he was in there, he’s ready. That’s a big positive for our basketball team. And we need the depth.
“[Friday] night was a perfect example. We were going really deep because of foul trouble. But it may be fatigue one day, it may be the matchup another game. But he’s available. I’m going to work him in as much as I can, but I’m not going to force it if it’s not called for.”