Shannon Brown nails a three, triggering a full timeout from the bench. Down ten with seven minutes and change left, Los Suns had El Heat — for what it’s worth, these are basically the Taco Bell versions of translating — on the ropes on their home floor.
As this insane season hits its final chunk of games with a side of games, one that has players questioning or scrambling for higher power to help drag them to the end, the headlines are often a bit crazed too. The Dwight Howard situation took on a carnival life of its own; Mike D’Antoni’s sudden dive out the escape hatch and basically everything Knicks still beats like a daily drum; Kobe and his Lakers are always in the spotlight in some fraction, and the Clippers, right now, probably wish they weren’t.
From the beginning of the season, two things have seemed to prevail when it comes to the Miami Heat: One, because last year’s Finals loss built continuity and further motivation, they were the clear favorites in this year of uncertainty, and two, the regular season, unless something ungodly happened, was virtually meaningless in the eyes of big picture people; the Heat’s burden (self-inflicted as it may be) is that no matter the brilliance displayed nightly, there remains a wait-and-see approach until the postseason arrives.
This stance, although justified in the grand scheme of LeBron James’s career (this is who it will always come down to), is also somewhat blinding. Blinding in that the Heat can right now offer us possible glimpses into what could one day be playoff mettle, or at least useful calm when things go awry. Down ten to Phoenix last night, Miami began on a methodical free-throw parade, then a Bosh bucket drops in, and then with a slim lead, Dwyane Wade’s searing drive and layup effectively changes the outcome for the last time. LeBron adds a jumper to cap a 17-0 run in roughly six minutes, and Miami wins by four.
Runs and counter-runs are a part of daily life in the NBA. Ten point leads vanish, it happens, but with the Heat a 17-0 burst can feel so managed and ordinary; they didn’t catch fire with a flurry of threes or fast break buckets. And while the Suns missed their share of looks, Miami chipped away towards a finish that now seems inevitable. Their ability to create amazing out of thin air is well-documented, but also valuable is the charity stripe, where, with Wade and James as maestros, the Heat can slow a game to a screeching halt while they make up ground, then turn up the jet propulsions again when the time’s right.
Something like last night’s run would, of course, mean much more in the frying pan of a playoff game as opposed to a home contest against the often defensively-challenged Suns. But if nothing else, it’s another reminder of the things the Heat are capable of when all seems normal, or under control. Maybe that idea isn’t trendy enough now, with everything else going on around the league. But coming soon it could become unavoidable, and we’ll be left to wonder why we thought of anything else.
Griffin Gotta contributes to The Hoop Doctors and is a co-managing editor of Straight Outta Vancouver. The story arcs and infinite weirdness of the NBA are addictions he deals with every day. Email him at griffingotta at gmail dot com.
