The fifth edition of the Miami Heat Tip-Off, a weekly AllUCanHeat column, is here.
A perfect week to take advantage was lost on the Miami Heat as, once again, injuries and missed opportunities plagued them.
They were without both Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside all last week, and even had one game missing Josh Richardson, which drastically affected their opening to sneak up the Eastern Conference rankings.
Too little, too late might be the best way to describe this situation, as the Heat now see an even larger uphill battle to at least maintain a great position for the playoffs. That position, unfortunately, might stay at eighth.
The Portland Trail Blazers game was too much to handle as Damian Lillard went off for 32 points and 10 assists, with the Sacramento Kings loss being even tougher to watch.
They fell into a ditch defensively in the second and third quarters, and despite a 32-point fourth quarter, it simply wasn’t enough to merit a comeback win. In the end, they finished last week with a 1-2 record.
Upcoming Games
Monday, March 19 versus the Denver Nuggets (Home)
Wednesday, March 21 versus the New York Knicks (Home)
Friday, March 23 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder (Away)
Sunday, March 25 versus the Indiana Pacers (Away)
Four games this week, two away and two at home, is what’s on the agenda for Miami. At the rate they’re playing and with injuries still sidelining two Heat stars, this week could be a very disappointing one for Heat fans everywhere.
This Week’s Preview
Tonight’s game starts things off on a tough note.
While the Denver Nuggets have cooled off from their hot start and can be viewed as the Miami Heat of the West, when they get going, they really get going. The first run against Denver wasn’t pretty either, with the Nuggets escaping with a 95-94 win in early November, as Paul Millsap destroyed with 27 points. This time though, Miami’s back home. But even that might not be enough.
New York is sitting out of the playoffs with the 11th seed and a 25-45 record. Should be an easy win on paper, but the series is currently tied 1-1 this year, with Miami’s win coming in overtime. Ends Kanter and (ironically enough) Michael Beasley always gets the best of the Heat in these matchups, so although there’s hope, it could go either way.
Miami is leading the tiebreaker with Indiana 2-1, if it ever comes down to that, and surprisingly enough, they usually play strongly against them. Therefore, the Heat losing to the Knicks but beating the Pacers could be a frustrating, but realistic possibility.
Miami hasn’t played against the Thunder yet, so it’s hard to tell what that outcome could be.
With two games between these two clubs left, this series could also be similar to that with the Pacers. The Thunder are sitting in fourth in the Western Conference on a six-game winning streak, however, they are also very unpredictable. This could be a toss up and extremely hard to call for now, so only Friday’s game will tell.
This Week’s Challenges
Will Wade and Whiteside be back this week?
Are the Heat destined to stick with the eighth seed?
Is the team losing momentum?
Next: Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk: Then, now and what's to come
Here’s to a 3-1 record after this week… hopefully.