Tyler Herro powered the Miami Heat to a late-game 14-0 run to hold off the Philadelphia 76ers in a must-win game on their home floor. If the Heat had any hopes of climbing out of the 9th or 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings, they needed this game.
Leading all scores with 30 points, it was Herro's desperation down the stretch that helped pull the Heat out of the grips of disaster.
The Heat still have a small glimmer of postseason hope
With six regular-season games left on their schedule, the Heat remains one game back in the loss column from the Orlando Magic of 8th, and 1.5 games back of the 76ers for 7th. They're still a full three games back from the Atlanta Hawks for 6th, which is looking like less and less of a possibility.
Nevertheless, even if it was just for one night, the Heat was able to comfortable let out a sigh of relief.
But, still, it's games like these that leave Heat fans scratching their heads. Miami went from losing to the worst team in the league Sunday night to beating one of the hottest teams in the league Monday.
For better or worse, that's been what has been par for the course in Miami.
While it does open the door for some whackiness to take place down the stretch, it also helps explain why Heat fans are often left incredibly frustrated in watching their team.
The Heat still have an uphill battle into the playoffs
Despite the "good" win against the 76ers, the Heat still very much have an uphill battle in the NBA Playoffs. At this point, it's all but certain the Heat is going to be part of the Play-In Tournament. At worst, they're going to be the 10th seed.
They could theoretically climb all the way up to 7th. Even though Miami is not mathematically eliminated from catching the Hawks in 6th, I think that ship has sailed. Especially considering how well the Hawks have been playing of late.
The Heat is going to have to win its way into the playoff field. At this point, the only question revolves around how many games they'll have to win in order to do so. If they finish as a 9th or 10th seed, they'll have to win two.
As a 7th or 8th, they'll just need to secure one.
With how hot and cold the Heat can be on any given night, it's difficult to count this team out. Just when it appeared all hope was lost, after the embarrassing loss to the Indiana Pacers, they seemingly came back from the dead and beat the 76ers.
It was a big win as the Heat start a key homestand for Play-In Tournament positioning.