The Miami Heat welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers with open arms to Biscayne Boulevard on Tuesday night; but they didn’t prove to be the best hosts, something that should worry the entire Eastern Conference.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are likely going to be the third seed in the Eastern Conference this year, and are one of the more potent teams in the league. A team led by LeBron James.
The Miami Heat were not impressed.
Tuesday night served as a reminder to the rest of the Eastern Conference that the Heat are going to be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time. Their 98-79 win over the Cavaliers proved that while the Heat are still fighting for a playoff berth, head coach Erik Spoelstra is rounding them into shape.
Although the Cleveland lost Kevin Love to a displaced tooth in the first quarter, the Heat were ready from the tip.
The Heat put vice grips on the Cavaliers in ways we had not seen applied to them all season. Holding them to 36.5 percent shooting overall, and 15.4 percent from downtown is an accomplishment to be proud of. Although to be fair, the Cavaliers stayed an extra night in Miami and looked to party just a bit more than they looked to play basketball. Not many players, let alone people, would survive that situation.
But the bigger story is that the Miami Heat made a statement that regardless of whether or not they have star power, they’re going to compete. Which is the very definition of Heat Culture. While Dwyane Wade got the highlights, James Johnson deserved the game ball. Johnson starting the game with physical defense and a lack of quit against James, served as the catalyst for the rest of the night.
Though this collection of players doesn’t jump off the page as a threat, it’s that sort of uniform anonymity that makes them so dangerous. Of course Wade is iconic, and Hassan Whiteside is a max player, but no one views them at the top of the league. Having guys like Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk that buy in completely and give 100 percent effort, goes a long way against teams that may take them lightly.
Next: Why the Miami Heat are a first round playoff threat to top seeded teams
Does this game mean that the Heat are going to march to the Eastern Conference Finals? No. But does it mean that they can strike fear into any of the top seeds in the tournament? Absolutely.