The Miami Heat are playing historic offense, but so what?

We’re seeing a new trend from the Miami Heat: they’re scoring as they please. But can this lead to playoff success?

Before the Miami Heat took on the New York Knicks, the team’s new offense was given its accolades.

The Heat have had a scoring increase since the All-Star break, that the league has never seen before.

Before the All-Star break, Miami averaged 100.5 points per game. After the break, they were averaging 114.8, a number that will now climb after an 119-98 victory over the Knicks. This is a spread that’s good enough for an NBA record since the first All-Star game in 1951.

But a high-powered offense hasn’t always been Miami’s style of play.

Are they losing their identity?

The Heat are a defensive minded team. That’s what they have rooted their system in, and have taken pride over. In the first half of the season, the question soon became: could a team averaging just over 100.0 points per game, still keep up in a shooters league?

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In the first regular season game, the Indiana Pacers posted 140 points versus the Brooklyn Nets. The league is not what it used to be and if you want to run with everyone else, you’re going to have to score.

But, the Heat have proved that they can do it both ways. 29 times this season, the Heat have held their opponent to under 100 points. Out of those 29 games, the Heat have won 22 of them.

As you would expect, when the Heat score less than 100 points, their success drops. Miami is 10-18 in those games this season.

Scoring less than 100 points in a game is not a winning formula. Defense is.

The new offense has found success

So, as the Heat are setting franchise records in points, are they getting too far away from their core? Can they win that way?

So far the answer is yes. Since the All-Star break and the recent surge of Miami’s offense, the team is 9-5. The Heat can do it both ways.

Miami can win a game with defense and they can win a game with offense. The team is in one of their healthiest runs of the season, and that’s with Hassan Whiteside and Dwyane Wade both sidelined. This is the success that comes when the team can run together for a period of time.

What’s been the most impressive during the surge of the offense? The passing. Miami has been pushing the ball, but it’s never for an isolation situation. There’s already someone else there. Right now, the passing has shown the chemistry that this team has built.

We’re not seeing the exhausting turnovers that we saw during the 2-4 start to the season. The most common trend has been the scoring balance. It continues to be a trend that we see different leading scores night after night, accompanied by a handful of double-digit scorers.

One night it’s Goran Dragic that you have to worry about, the next night it’s James Johnson that is taking over in overtime.

Next: The Miami Heat continue to prove they are best at playing team ball

The Heat seemingly can get the job done multiple ways, which might just make them a tough out in the playoffs.