27 or 13? Which streak was more impressive?

Coming off one of the more impressive win streaks of the season, its time to take a look back at the most impressive win streak of this era.

The Miami Heat have a knack of stringing together consecutive wins — a feat they’ve accomplished numerous times since entering the NBA as an expansion team back in 1988.

Arising from the vaults of Heat lore over the past week, some have even began to compare the recently concluded 13 game streak to the Miami’s 27 game stretch back in 2012-13. Many, including former Heat star Dwyane Wade, have claimed that this year’s team’s run was even more impressive than theirs of four years ago, when Miami finished a franchise-best 66-16 and claimed back-to-back titles after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series.

As egregious as that may sound, there is some truth to it, as Wade pointed out:

"“We did it with Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Ray Allen,” Wade pointed out. “This streak right here to me is as just impressive with guys names that aren’t as big as we sit here today.”"

He’s got a point.

At that moment, the Heat were clearly the best team in the NBA. A lineup consisting of Bosh, Wade, James, and Allen to go with the toughness and intangibles of Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Chris Andersen, they were certainly built with multiple championships in mind.

James was at the peak of his abilities, Wade was still producing at an All-Star level, and Bosh had evolved into one of the greatest third options in the history of basketball. Allen’s stroke was still wet, Battier was automatic from the corner and still a stout defender, and the rest of the supporting cast were the best collection of timely players in recent memory. You couldn’t always rely on them, but when the moment as the brightest, they did not back down.

That Heat team set the NBA on fire over the span of two months. The 27-game win streak they ripped off was the longest since the 1971-72 Lakers won 33 in a row.

The 2016-17 version of the Heat couldn’t be more different.

This roster consists of zero Hall Of Famers and10 former D-Leaguers: Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, Okaro White, Willie Reed, Josh McRoberts, Luke Babbitt, and Marcus Georges-Hunt all spent time in the Development League. Five of those players (Johnson, Reed, McGruder, White and Georges-Hunt) were undrafted when they began their careers.

The Heat opened this season on a relatively poor note. Through 41 games, Miami was at 11-30, and Erik Spoelstra and company could virtually kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

Sitting at 13th in the East and dead in the water, the Heat cleaned up, bandaged their wounds and embarked on one of the more improbable runs of the season. Beginning with a January 17 home victory over the Houston Rockets, Miami would rattle off 13 consecutive wins, beating the likes of Golden State, Atlanta and Chicago in the process. Fueled by strong play from Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Whiteside, along with a collection of memorable highlights, the Heat now find themselves in prime position to steal a playoff spot.

Waiters didn’t leave off there either, leading an 18-point fourth quarter comeback and nailing another clutch three against the Brooklyn Nets just nights later:

Just two games behind the Detroit Pistons for the eighth seed, Miami is on the verge of one of the best single-season turnarounds in the history of sports, and without a single All Star on their roster.

That alone is the most intriguing part. How could a team this far under .500 string together such a run?

Spoelstra isn’t buying into the hype, however. Per the Miami Herald:

"“We’re not taking a step back to look at it,” he said of the streak. “I really enjoyed seeing the grit and the toughness of this group and perseverance just as much when we were 1-9 in those 10 games before that.”"

That may be the deciding factor in this debate. No matter how impressive their brief run was, this team still has 32 losses and is currently out of the playoff picture. That 2013 lost a mere 16 games, finishing a league-best 39-2 at home.

That squad also went on to win the championship, James earning his second consecutive Finals MVP award after a tour de force Game 7 performance.

Either way you dive into it, the math never lies. 27 is far greater than 13. With all due respect to the tough, gritty Heat squad of today, I have to side with the Big 3 on this one.