The Miami Heat are building a resume full of signature wins

The Miami Heat have an outstanding 20-8 record, but they haven’t merely built it on the back of bad teams as might have been expected. They already have a resume stocked with signature wins in the first third of the season.

Projected to win in the low-to-mid 40s this season, the Miami Heat were expected to be one of those teams that got by thanks to beating up on the NBA’s lesser teams. Especially in the Eastern Conference, that tends to be enough to at least get into the playoffs even if you don’t steal any big statement wins over the best teams in the NBA.

Not only have the Heat taken care of business against the lesser teams, their resume of statement wins has become an indicator that none of their wins should be considered “steals” at this point. In spite of battling injuries and suspensions since before the season even began, the Miami Heat have a 20-8 record with a resume stocked full of these signature wins.

With victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, as well as a win over the Luka Doncic-less (for all but a couple minutes) Dallas Mavericks and a close last-second loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Heat have one of the top lists of big wins of any team in the league.

A far cry from the middling team they were expected to be, the Heat are currently third in the Eastern Conference behind only the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

Of course, they can only tempt fate for so long if they don’t get some of these players back from injury, like Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow in particular. Once they’re plugged back into the lineup, however, the already top-heavy Miami Heat should have that extra gear they’ll need in order to sustain through the rigors of the long NBA season and into the playoffs.

Until then, Jimmy Butler and his surprising band of shorthanded Heat warriors will keep thriving.