The Miami Heat’s incredible journey to the NBA Finals last season does not guarantee that they will be able to repeat it this season. Making it out of the East for the third time in five seasons will necessitate novel solutions to fresh challenges.
If the regular season is a marathon, the playoffs are like a chess match. Coach Erik Spoelstra understands that the regular season is about finding solutions and preparing for the postseason. The goal is to use the first 82 games to generate solutions to foreseeable difficulties.
With 22 games left, the Heat are clicking. They have won 10 of their last 13 games and are within a game-and-a-half of the No. 4 seed in the East. The outlines of what the Heat will look like in the playoffs are beginning to come into focus, but there are still some things Spoelstra can tweak to get his team primed for the postseason.
Few coaches have done as good a job of preparing their teams for the playoffs as Erik Spoelstra, but there are still a few moves he can make to turn the Miami Heat into legit championship contenders.
Although this is out of Spoelstra’s control, the most important thing, as always, is health. After missing three games with a knee sprain, Tyler Herro missed Saturday’s win over the Utah Jazz with right foot soreness. The Heat are being cautious with the lingering injury and his return timeline is unclear. Kevin Love also missed his second straight game with an ankle bruise. The Heat need both back to be at their best.
Jimmy Butler has played his best two-way ball of the season. He’s averaging 24.8 points on 55.8% shooting, 7.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.1 steals over his last 11 games, and the Heat have won six of their last eight games with Butler on the floor.
“It’s that time,” Butler said recently.
So what can Spoelstra do to build on this winning stretch and get the Heat to resemble a legitimate contender by playoff time? The first move might be a starting lineup change.
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