Winning back-to-back games has certainly started to change the tune around the Miami Heat, and they've looked really good in doing so.
However, if they want to prove that they have officially turned a corner after their early-season struggles, there's no better way to prove that than with a strong showing in their upcoming five-game road trip.
After winning two straight games by double digits against the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers, the Heat's new-look offense and newfound confidence will be put to the test in road games against the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and Utah Jazz.
The Heat's first extended road trip of the season will consist of five games in nine nights. Despite it still being very early in the season, we should be able to get a stronger grasp on what (or who) the Heat truly are after this stretch.
The Heat have been a tale of two teams this season
Even though the Heat have only played six games, there's an argument to be made that they have been two very different teams this season. There's who the Heat were during the first four games of the year, and then who they've played like during their last two games.
The difference? Well, there was a clear and distinct offensive adjustment that Erik Spoelstra made to help solve the spacing issues between Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo when they're on the floor together.
I'd still say that the Giannis-Bam experiment is still very much a work in progress, but there's no question that it's looked significantly better in the last two games. The question is, can the Heat be able to carry the momentum from the last two games into this road trip?
In a way, that will ultimately answer whether the Heat have effectively turned a corner on their struggles or not. And it will be interesting to see the results.
In the first four games of the season, the Heat were statistically one of the worst teams in the league. They had a bottom-10 offensive and defensive rating. Their 0-4 record didn't help matters either. In a way, the Heat did have the look of a team that was trying to learn how to play with each other on the fly.
In their last two games, the Heat have looked like a team that has begun to figure out a few things, particularly on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively, the Heat are still trying to solve some of their issues, but they've been, statistically, the best team on offense over the past couple of games.
Miami will need to get their defensive issues in order if they want to accomplish big things this season, but it's certainly a positive sign that things have begun to shift offensively.
If they can carry that over into this upcoming road trip, they could send the message that the Giannis-era Heat have finally arrived.
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