Miami Heat: The red-hot Heat will have to prove their worth as a playoff team

The Miami Heat have impressed over the last week and a half, but their schedule is about to get really difficult

Just a week ago, the Miami Heat appeared dead in the water and looked like a team that was destined for the NBA Draft Lottery. However, since the return of Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside in to the lineup, the Heat have looked like a different team.

After pulling away from the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night, the Heat are now 5-1 in their last six games which include a marquee victory over the Golden State Warriors. Since his return to the lineup, Winslow is averaging 15 points, six rebounds and six assists on better than 50 percent shooting from the field.

To say that he’s given the Heat a much-needed shot in the arm would be an understatement.

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On the other hand, one slight adjustment on the part of Erik Spoelstra that may have seemed to ignite this recent play from the Heat has been the move to start Bam Adebayo and bring Hassan Whiteside off the bench, who seems to be more efficient in that role. Plus, it gives the team a super sixth man that they could rely on off the bench.

While Wade has been one of the better sixth men so far this season, Hassan has the potential and talent to be dominant. He’s good enough to be a starter, and a good one at that in the right role, so coming off the bench and playing against back-up centers gives him that extra edge that could make him even more effective.

In the last week, plus a day or two, the Heat have jumped from the 10th seed to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. They’re only 2.5 games back of the 6th seed. If Miami can remain red-hot over the next few weeks, I don’t think there’s counting this team out of climbing higher.

Question is, will the hot streak prove to be something more than just a blimp on the radar?

We’ve seen this Heat team go through stretches like this before, where they look like they could beat any NBA team on any given night. At the same time, they’ll turn around and then lose to a team like the Atlanta Hawks – no offense, Trae Young.

Nevertheless, their next six games could end up dictating the Heat’s season. Over the next week and a half, Miami will have to face the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

There’s no question that the Miami Heat’s recent hot streak is certainly a step in the right direction and has given this team the necessary steps it needed to possibly make the playoffs, but we’re going to find out just how real of a team they are over the next two weeks.