After a holiday hiatus, the Stretch 4 is back with another look at what the Miami Heat did right, and wrong, over the past week.
After a two week break, here we are once again, speaking on the highs and lows the Miami Heat experienced over a week’s time.
Yup, I’m back.
Did you miss me?
It’s no secret that things haven’t been going so smoothly for the guys of South Beach so far this season. Currently an ugly 11-28, the Heat have fallen to fourteenth in the Eastern Conference, with only the Brooklyn Nets sitting lower at 8-28.
And this past week was a struggle as well.
Spending all four games on the road, Miami started their trip out West by falling short 99-90 against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday evening. They then headed to California to face off versus the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, coming up 107-102. Unfortunately, that was the only win of the week, as the Heat lost 127-100 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, and the Los Angeles Clippers 98-86 on Sunday.
Sure, a lot of their failure can be attributed to injury, with Justise Winslow being ruled out for the season (more on that later), and Hassan Whiteside still seeing double after Jae Crowder had the audacity to poke him in the eye (and subsequently lost his mind on Twitter). And the officials, as expected, were not too kind to the likes of Goran Dragic who got ejected after taking a hard elbow and shove from Mr. Kendall Jenner, Jordan Clarkson.
But plain and simple: the Heat are having one heck of a year.
Still, there are positives to focus on, I promise.
Like Tyler Johnson’s posterizing dunk.
See for yourself, and tell me you aren’t left with goosebumps.
That’s right, our very own newly signed guard went flying high above Drizzy Drake’s bestie Lou Williams for a one-handed slam.
And while Heat Nation may have known what he is capable of all along, the league finally started talking about Johnson after he threw this one down.
It’s true that he got some attention after signing his four-year, $50 million contract this summer. But due to Miami’s less-than-ideal start to the season, a lot of individual successes on the team have unfortunately been overlooked.
I mean, besides show-stopping dunks, Johnson is killing it lately.
Averaging 13.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals a game in 31.0 minutes of play, he has definitely been one of the Heat’s most all-around consistent players. Johnson has continued to bring an unmatched energy off the bench, reaching another level of awareness during the fourth quarter.
And mark my words, if Miami wasn’t one of the worst teams in the league right now, he would absolutely be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.
11-28 or not, Johnson is certainly a joy to watch.
James Johnson has also been impressive.
Like how he had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 steals in 34 minutes against the Lakers.
Not to mention how quickly he came to Dragic’s rescue when Clarkson put him on the ground.
(In fact, the general consensus seems to be that out of everyone in the NBA, he may be the last one anyone would want to fight. A second-degree black belt in karate, a mixed martial arts and MMA fighter, a kickboxer and has a nickname of Bloodsport? Johnson doesn’t play. His neck tattoos alone could probably take out an entire team.)
Yes, the 29-year-old certainly seems to fit nicely into the Heat’s system, currently averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 block per matchup in 24.8 minutes of play.
Only becoming more reliable off of the bench with each game that passes.
And I’m happy to say I’ve been a proud supporter since the Chicago Bulls drafted him back in 2009.
Fans should definitely expect head coach Erik Spoelstra and company to keep heavily utilizing him on both ends of the court, as he further develops into the type of guy who lives and breathes Miami Heat Basketball.
And speaking of Miami Heat Basketball, that’s exactly what got the job done against the Kings.
I can’t even tell you how many people pre-game I had telling me Miami would get crushed, DeMarcus Cousins would make a fool out of Willie Reed, and so on. And sure, my hopes weren’t too high. After all, winning seems to be an exception these days. But that’s what I love about this game. You really never know.
But this matchup ended up snapping the Heat’s six-game losing streak, short-handed again and all.
T. Johnson led the way with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 30 minutes, while Dragic finished with 19 points, 7 assists and 2 steals. Wayne Ellington also had himself a game, with 13 points on 80.0 percent shooting from the three-point line. And J. Johnson pitched in 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.
Everyone did a little something, and it definitely paid off.
Because not only did Miami win, they held Cousins to a mere 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and and 2 steals. Well mere for him, anyways.
Claps all around.
Unfortunately however, this week also brought forth the announcement that Winslow would miss the rest of the season.
After already missing 16 games at the start of this season due to a wrist injury, Winslow has recently undergone shoulder surgery, the recovery process of which will most likely keep him out the remainder of 2016-17.
And the sophomore is as upset as the rest of us are.
— Justise Winslow (@IAmJustise) January 5, 2017
While Heat Nation obviously didn’t need to lose another body, the disappointment in Winslow’s injury goes beyond that: many were hoping that this was the year he would start to break out, much like Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard did. But unfortunately, that can no longer be the case.
Here’s hoping the organization keeps him around anyways, so we can still see that growth later on down the road.
Must Read: Miami Heat: Goran Dragic has a solid game despite big loss
Another week of Heat basketball, another wild ride.