The Miami Heat are on a seven-game winning streak. It’s hard to tell how long this will last. We might as well enjoy the ride.
The 18-30 Miami Heat have been the NBA’s best team the past 11 days. A 116-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night helped Miami continue a winning streak that currently stands at seven games. The streak began on Jan. 17th with a 109-103 win over the Houston Rockets.
This is Miami’s longest winning streak since an eight-game stretch from Feb. 11 to Mar. 3, 2014. That was the final year of the “Big Three” era. The Heat made the NBA Finals that season, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 4-1.
A lot has changed for the Miami Heat franchise between these extended streaks. Five players from that playoff roster are now on other teams. Four players are playing outside the NBA or are free agents. Another four have officially retired. Only Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh are left from the 2013-14 team.
Haslem has played in only 15 games this season, averaging 1.8 points per game. Bosh is sitting out the year due to his ongoing health issues.
This current winning streak is impressive because it comes at the hands of a team full of new faces and unheralded players.
The Miami Heat have hit their stride during a favorable part of the schedule. The Houston game kicked off a stretch of 10 games where eight take place at AmericanAirlines Arena.
This comes after enduring an 11-game stretch where nine of the games were on the road. This included a six-game road trip, their longest of the season.
However, the streak also comes at a time when the Heat roster is racked with injuries.
In addition to Bosh, power forward Josh McRoberts has been out since late December with a stress fracture in his left foot. He could miss the rest of the season. Forward Justise Winslow will miss the rest of the year as he recovers from torn labrum surgery.
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Swingman Josh Richardson went down with a sprained left foot. He will likely return some time in February. Combo guard Tyler Johnson was ruled out two games into the winning streak with a left shoulder injury. His status is being determined on a game-by-game basis.
The Heat are fighting through the pain with a “next man up” approach. Multiple players have stepped up in the stead of the their fallen teammates.
Collectively, the key to Miami’s winning streak is their hot shooting and improved perimeter defense. The Heat shot 43.9 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three in their first 41 games. Those numbers have improved to 48.4 percent and 42.4 percent, respectively, over the last seven games.
On the other end of the floor, opponents shot 35.7 percent from three-point range before the streak. Miami has held teams to 31.1 percent during the streak.
Lead guard Goran Dragic has been the catalyst of this winning streak. Dragic averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game during the first 41 games. That average has jumped up to 23.3 points per game over the last seven. Oddly enough, he averages the same amount of assists per game (6.4) over both time frames.
Dion Waiters has risen to the challenge of starting at shooting guard in place of Richardson and Tyler Johnson. Waiters averaged 12.8 points in 29.7 minutes per game before the streak. He has averaged 22.1 points in 32.9 minutes per game during.
He led all scorers with 24 points in the Jan. 25 win at the Brooklyn Nets. Waiters also had a season-high 33 points in two consecutive games: Jan. 21 against the Milwaukee Bucks and Jan. 23 versus the Golden State Warriors.
Waiters also has a flair for the clutch. He knocked down the go-ahead bucket in the Nets win. The game before, he punctuated his 33-point performance against Golden State with a game-winning three-pointer.
Rookie forward Okaro White was called up from the Sioux Falls Skyforce — Miami’s D-League affiliate — on Jan. 17. He averaged 18.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 23 games with the Skyforce. His role has been limited, averaging 4.2 points in 17.7 minutes per game in his six appearances. However, it should be noted that the team has been undefeated since his arrival.
The only player who hasn’t benefitted during this winning streak is star center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside averaged 17.5 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks heading into the streak. But a sprained ankle has slowed down his production. He even had to sit out the team’s 100-88 win over the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 27.
Whiteside has averaged 11.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks over the last seven games. However, he still manages to lead the league in total rebounds per game, averaging 13.8 on the year.
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The winning streak has probably been fun for Miami Heat fans. However, it’s hard to imagine it continuing for much longer. A large part of the streak is predicated on hot shooting. There’s a good chance the shooting percentages will die back down considering how the Heat started the year offensively.
However, their improvement in perimeter defense seems more sustainable. The team’s general commitment to defense can be combined with the strategies that have helped them over the course of the winning streak.
Miami is now tied with the Orlando Magic for 12th in the Eastern Conference, five games out of the last playoff seed. Miami’s postseason chances are still very slim, but the winning streak has certainly helped matters.
Basketball-Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report currently has Miami at a 4.5 percent chance of making the postseason. The conference is very volatile at the moment. More skilled teams like the Bulls and New York Knicks are having interpersonal issues that could drag down their season and open up a playoff spot.
However, the Heat also have to compete with the Philadelphia 76ers, another lottery-level team that’s currently trending up the standings. Miami will have to keep shooting well, chase other teams off the perimeter, and get as healthy as possible if they want to beat out Philly for the “Eastern Conference 8-Seed Sleeper Pick” title.
This seven-game winning streak is a big moment for a franchise in the midst of a reinvention. Regardless of when it ends, or if it leads to the postseason, it’s still good for a team to remain competitive despite a losing record.
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The Miami Heat have a chance to continue their streak on Monday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.