The Miami Heat currently have the second longest winning streak in the history of the NBA, and with a quick look at the schedule who knows when this historical run will cease. But it will be gripping to watch as they march toward the all time record of 33 straight wins held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
So when does it end? I have always maintained that it will stop when the Heat decide it will stop. The most recent notch in the belt against the Celtics was a prime example as Miami was determined not to have the streak end in Boston.
It was a back-to-back scenario with Miami playing its fifth game in the last seven days. Yes, the NBA schedule can force losses just as an extra player on the court for a hot shooting opponent or a stingy defence could.
Miami was playing in a building where they had a run of regular season losses and trailed by double figures as late as the eight-minute mark of the final quarter but yet found a way to win. When they decide they have had enough, they will deem a win to keep the streak alive less important than hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June. And only then will the final number of wins in the streak be etched in the record book.
But if they decide they want to establish a new water mark in the history books, they are going to be really tough to stop.
Teams that display the focus of the current Heat squad don’t come along often. Yes there was that Laker squad from back in the day, but recently the mid-1990s Chicago Bulls and their pursuit of the magical 70-win plateau comes to mind. The Bulls turned the trick once going 72-10 and then came up just short with a 69-13 campaign the following year. In retrospect, some members of that squad say that it took a lot out of them trying to put up back-to-back 70-win seasons and it showed late in June during their title run.
This brings us back to the Heat. As impressive as this run has been, what does it mean if there is no title at the end of the season? There is mounting pressure to keep the streak going but once it ends they can look back at what it takes to perform in pressure situations, again? They have had this type of stress before, so close calls during the streak will serve as a reminder.
There are a few impressive things to examine during the historical climb.
Initially, as Celtics head coach Doc Rivers implied, the Heat are acting like champions. A run like this can only be conducted by a focused squad that plays team basketball and has clearly-defined roles. This is not the brash, cocky group that acted like champions and talked about the number of titles they would win before the team even took the court for its first regular season game. There is a maturity, focus and a true understanding of what it takes to win. Yes, a little lady luck doesn’t hurt either.
This is no longer the ‘Big Three’ as we know it. In these eyes it has become the ‘Super Giant and Two Big Ones’. LeBron James is clearly the man running the show with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh willing accessories. It’s a symbiotic relationship where James makes the entire team better while Wade and Bosh remind people how good they are just often enough to allow James room to roam. No, this is not the supporting cast James once had in Cleveland that he continually put on his wide shoulders.
And speaking of James, he has played his way back into favour with some fans. True, he handled The Decision poorly, but everyone is entitled to a second chance. Right now the fact that he is putting himself on the map as a generational player has many people looking at him in a different light. He has no equal in the game — James can play every position offensively and defensively he can guard anyone on the floor. There has never been anyone like him in basketball. James has developed his offensive game to the point where there are no weaknesses. In the past, defences could sometimes dictate options to James. Currently, defences are at the mercy of what ever option he chooses to exercise.
Buckle in basketball fans, the Heat have taken you on a great ride and nobody is sure where this portion of it ends. The nice thing is, when it finally does, they will crank it up again in April with a definite end goal in mind and that journey will be more meaningful and much more intense.