Taking a deeper look into the red-hot Miami Heat.
After the Damian Lillard saga where the All-Star guard ultimately did not end up in Miami, a lot of people thought that the Miami Heat’s era was over. Especially with the departure of key role players in Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, there were a lot of questions on how Miami would look and at first glance, it didn’t look good.
Then, the regular season began and only solidified those thoughts. Though Miami won its first game, it was a one-point victory over a young Detroit Pistons team that ranks near the bottom of the league. Then came the early woes. With rest and injuries to players like Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and Caleb Martin, the Heat dropped their next four. While the Bucks and Celtics sat atop the conference with newly upgraded rosters, the Heat with its “run-it-back” method seemed to die out as Miami sat at the bottom of the conference.
However, by sheer will, (and maybe this is what they call Heat Culture down there in the 305), Erik Spolestra’s guys have rattled off seven straight wins. Even an injury to Tyler Herro, who’s seemingly taken that next step, didn’t slow down the Heat. What happened? What changed? Here’s a look into how the Heat have kept the NBA’s longest winning streak so far this season.