Miami Heat Still Proving To Be One Of Most Physical Teams Since 04 Pistons

In an emotional night against the Portland Trailblazers, the Miami Heat edged out a win without any of their stars in the fourth quarter.

Although the win was impressive in this regard, that is not what anyone is talking about right now. That is because of the altercation that took place in the last minute of the game.

This isn’t the first time the Heat were involved in a major altercation this season.

A while ago, Markieff Morris was pushed by Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, which caused all sorts of drama. Morris is still recovering from neck whiplash.

Once again, the Miami Heat took on one of the NBA’s giants. This time, it was Tyler Herro going up against Trailblazers center Jusuf Nurkic.

The escalation of events was triggered by certain actions, but let’s rewind and put the whole thing into perspective.

Miami Heat Still Proving To Be One Of Most Physical Teams Since 04 Pistons

From the very beginning, emotions were high. Both teams were playing without most of their best players, which has a history of bringing out the grittiness and physicality of a team.

Miami, a team that plays physical regardless of how their talent stacks up, was challenging the Trail Blazers in every way they could.

Kyle Lowry had a very good start to the game, in terms of sharing the ball. However, he was called for a technical foul early and later received his second technical at the end of the half for tossing the ball back to the referee.

The Heat were not happy about that call and for good reason. Nevertheless, they would have to play harder and with more spirit if they were going to win without their star point guard.

The Heat did, indeed, bring more effort, putting themselves in position to win the game. Still, it was fairly obvious that the whole team had the unfathomable loss of Lowry on their mind.

When Tyler Herro got hit with a hard screen late in the game, he retaliated by pushing Jusuf Nurkic. That made Nurkic angry, who then threw a punch at Herro.

The whole situation was a wild scene, where both players were ejected.

With the Playoffs Coming, The Miami Heat Will Only Continue To Be Tested

Whether or not it was the right thing to do (although both Herro and Nurkic probably could have done a better job of handling their emotions), this situation shows one thing: you can’t mess with anyone on the Miami Heat.

Even a player like Herro, who was seen as one of the least physically intimidating players on the team, is prepared to play rough if he feels he has to. When was the last time we have seen a team play this physical in the NBA?

Probably the 2004 Pistons Championship team. That team shows certain similarities to this current Miami Heat team, not only through their physical intimidation but also through their constant grit and grind throughout the game.

That goes, particularly, on the defensive end.

The Heat were already involved in two huge scuffles this season. With over half the season left, that still leaves room for more to happen.

And who knows what will happen as they head towards and enter the playoffs. With the intensity and physicality ratcheting up even more then, things might get even chippier for this Miami Heat team.

It doesn’t matter though. They’ll be ready.