Midseason Report: Miami Heat

Surprises of The East

Midway through the season, there have been many surprises in the league. You have the Memphis Grizzles as the surprise 8-seed playing behind Ja Morant. The Dallas Mavericks are way ahead of schedule, to much of the experts, at 27-15 with MVP candidate Luka Dončić. Then there are the Miami Heat, who are 29-12, 2nd in the East and rolling. A team that is 18-1 at home, and is playing as one. Unselfish play, great coaching, and amazing leadership is why the Miami Heat are in good position to host a home-playoff series or two.

Rookie Ballers

Where would the Heat be without their rookies; Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn and even Chris Silva. One a lottery pick, the other two undrafted. It just goes to show if you wanna make it to the league don’t quit on yourself. Nunn, the back-to-back Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month is playing lights out. Nunn and Herro, the milk-n-cookies backcourt, have been alive and well this season. Gaining their nickname in the preseason, both have showed why they belong in Heat threads. Herro with his clutch-DNA, and the scoring outlook Nunn brings night-in and night-out. Where would the Miami Heat be without these two? Also, where would the Heat be without Silva. Who recently signed a 3-year contract after originally being on a two-way and never seeing the facilities at Sioux Falls.

“Our All-Stars”

Whether the rest of the league sees them as all-stars or not, Miami has two guys who should be in Chicago. Bam Adebayo, has been playing like a man on a mission this season, and Jimmy Butler, enough can not be said about him. He doesn’t score like his days in Chicago or Minnesota, but he certainly fits the Heat culture. Bam and Butler, amongst others, have led this team to greatness through 41 games. Do people say they are one or two pieces short of becoming NBA champions, sure, but that doesn’t derail the train that is the Miami Heat. Bam and Butler deserve to be in Chicago representing the East as proud all-stars!

Coach Erik Spoelstra

Currently in his 12th year as coach of the Miami Heat, through 41 games Coach Spo has done an amazing job with this team. In years prior, Coach Spo has kept Miami around .500 with far less talent. This year he has all-star Jimmy Butler, and rising star Bam Adebayo to go along with the pieces that surround those. Guys like Duncan Robinson and even Goran Dragić had been written off, but not in Miami. Even with Dion Waiters on the sideline for all 41 games, Miami is still 29-12 (18-1 at home). It goes to show that if you have a well-coached roster, your team will want to play for you. Miami could be well-represented at all-star weekend player wise, but who says Erik Spoelstra can’t be coaching one of the teams and heck with it, he is well-deserving of being coach of the year as well!

What Exactly is Miami’s Ceiling?

This past offseason, Miami traded cornerstone guys like Hassan Whiteside and Josh Richardson to receive a max player in Jimmy Butler. After 41 games, Miami sits at 2nd place in the East. However the race from seeds 2-6 is extremely competitive. A three game losing streak and you go from 2 to 6, or vice-versa. So, what is Miami’s ceiling. Can they really compete with teams like the Bucks, Clippers and Lakers. We have seen Miami beat the Bucks without Jimmy, but can they do it in a best-of-7 series? Does Miami need to upgrade at point guard, get some veteran leadership, or even a big who can rebound? The trade deadline is right around the corner, so only time will tell what Miami’s ceiling is. But for now, Miami is more than confident at the midway point in the season.

Looking Foward

Through 41 games, Miami currently sits second in the East at 29-12. Yes, there can be improvements to make this team championship contenders. However, Pat Riley and company would tell you they are content with where they are at now. There are still 41 games to play in this season, but Miami is most likely going to be playing in May this season. And with their 18-1 home record, the AAA is more than glad to be hosting playoff-series. For the first time since LeBron James left, there is buzz in Miami and reason to come out to games. Only time will tell how good this Miami Heat team actually is, but right now sit back and enjoy the success they are enduring.