The Bad
Ah, if only there was nothing to say here.
The Heat are in a weird place right now at 28-34 and No. 10 in the Eastern Conference, just one-half game behind the No. 8 seed. That being said, there has been no way to even know for certain if they will make the playoffs or are going to tank.
This is a team that lost to the Denver Nuggets and beat the Golden State Warriors just a few days apart. As with this entire season, there has been a lot of unknown and a lot of inconsistencies.
A few weeks ago and up until Wade hit that game-winner against the Warriors, I thought it would be best for this team to tank. They could get a decent draft pick, draft another player to add to the young core and start a building process from there. Plus, as mentioned in The Good, Riley has said that he is going to make an effort to sign two max-contract players next summer.
However, when Wade hit that shot, it was like a switch flipped. That might have been the last game-winner that fans see from Wade. It might be one of the few ‘lasts’ left for him.
For that reason, the Heat should use these last six weeks of the season to make a hard push for that No. 8 seed. This season has been about Wade’s #OneLastDance and will be remembered because of him, so the opportunity should be there for him to make a playoff appearance one last time.