South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
For Miami, it didn’t have to be this way
CHICAGO — In just over a week, it will be all about a forward-thinking approach, the NBA playoffs ultimately to define the Miami Heat’s season.
And yet, as was the case a year ago, there have been defining moments along the way that (in) distinguish the road traveled and playoff seeding.
Last season, a bad April 23 loss to an Atlanta Hawks team lacking sidelined Trae Young and Clint Capela left the Heat as the No. 6 seed in the East and a first-round 4-0 sweep victim at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks. Win that game in Atlanta and the Heat would have been the No. 4 seed and hosted the happy-to-bethere New York Knicks in the first round, a team the Hawks eliminated in five games.
So what might be lamented this time around after the April 10 close of the regular season?
A season featuring mostly victories again has had its moments that created pause . . . moments that leave Erik Spoelstra’s team no option but to fight to the finish of the regular season.
What shouldn’t be lost is how, through it all, the Heat fought their way to the top. With the NBA, in its humbling way, dropping moments of humility along the way.
Nov. 10-11, Staples submission: It nearly was the best of Southern California dreaming
Nearly.
Instead, a 120-117 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, when a nine-point lead with 6:54 left in the fourth quarter evaporated, then, the following night back at Staples Center, a 112-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, when an early 17-point lead was squandered.
The loss to the Lakers came with LeBron James out. The loss to the Clippers came with no Kawhi Leonard.
Dec. 19, end of the road in Detroit: An odd weeklong road trip that went from Cleveland to Philadelphia to Orlando to Detroit ended for the Heat with the Pistons snapping a 14-game losing streak with a 100-90 victory.
To be fair, the Heat played in the absences of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, with P.J. Tucker lost in the third period with a knee injury.
But, still, it was a loss that allowed the Pistons to improve to 5-24.
Jan. 2, Sacramento skid: Up seven early in the fourth quarter, the Heat fouled De’Aaron Fox in a 113-113 tie with 6.2 seconds to play, with the Heat nemesis converting both free throws to close out the scoring.
The game ended with Butler off with a driving floater, when a stronger take could at least have produced free throws.
Jan. 21, alley oops in Atlanta: Down 16 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Heat fought all the way back only to see Butler botch a perfectly thrown alley-oop pass from Adebayo that could have tied it late.
“That was the play,” Adebayo said, “We got a great look. Just short.”
Jan. 29, triple Toronto torment: The
Heat had opportunities to win at the ends of the regulation, the first overtime and the second overtime, before succumbing 124-120 in triple-overtime to the visiting Raptors.
At the end of regulation, Butler was unable to get a shot off an inbounds play with 2.9 seconds remaining. At the end of the first overtime, a Butler turnover left it tied. And then, at the end of the second overtime, guard Gabe Vincent drained a 3-point heave only to have the basket nullified by a timeout from coach Heat coach Erik Spoelstra with 1.7 seconds remaining.
March 2, Milwaukee meltdown: Up 14 with 7:12 to play, and then ahead by four with 44.7 seconds left, the Heat melted at the finish in a staggering a 120-119 loss at Fiserv Forum that prevented clinching the head-to-head tiebreaker, in a season series that instead ended at 2-2.
With 13.5 seconds to play, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton converted a transition 3-pointer after a Herro turnover, to pull the Bucks within 119-118. Then, with 9.9 seconds to play, the Heat twice were unable to inbound from midcourt up one, leading to a jump ball that Giannis Antetokounmpo won from Butler. Off that play, the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday scored a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left to close out the scoring.
March 21, Philadelphia skid row: Another defeat that cost the Heat an opportunity to clinch a head-to-head season-series tiebreaker, this one also closing 2-2, with a 113-106 loss to an opponent lacking Joel Embiid and James Harden.
The Heat led with 7:06 to play, but still could not close it out.
From there, the Heat would lose their next three, including home losses to a Golden State Warriors team minus Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and the Knicks playing in the absence of Julius Randle.
All of that said, the No. 1 seed still is there for the taking. But like a year ago, ones that got away likely will take the Heat’s seeding race down to closing night.