FiveThirtyEight

The “Heat” beat third-place Beer last night at Bang Bus. Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin didn’t play. The “Bucks”. were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Serge Ibaka, and Joe Inglis. The “Heat” ate 8th in the East at 23-20. It is the first time this season they have been as much as 3 games over .500.


After the loss to Rust at the Bus head coach Erik Spoelstra  said “I feel something, that it’s been happening for the last three weeks or so. Now we have to translate that into wins at some point.” I wrote the next day that I felt a similar turn. Last night what Spo might have felt was a whoosh as Derelict Dewayne Dedmon tossed a “massage gun” onto the court when Spo subbed him out before 3D thought same was appropriate, and as I penned in sentiments on Jan. 9 the “Heat”, 7-3 in last ten, still in only 8th place, has gotten the feeling so late that a top four finish may be unrealistic and, at any rate, any dreams from 601 Biscayne that this team has right stuff of a champion is an hopium dream.