Q: Ira, what I liked about Friday was the Heat never let it get down to the last shot like they did against Charlotte, or even Milwaukee. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler were clutch. Good win. – Earl.
A: It certainly did have a feel of another impending here-we-go-again finish, based on how many recent Heat games went to the wire, required a defining after-timeout play call by one of the teams. That said, the Raptors also were undermanned Friday. But the Heat needed to start making things right and needed to particularly do it at home. So check, check, and a step forward. Again, after Sunday, the next five at the moment on the Heat schedule are the Lakers, Suns, Cavaliers, Thunder and Magic. So any breathing room above .500 should be coveted. So all the Heat need now is to do it again on Sunday in Toronto.
Q: You know what the NBA Cup is? A distraction. All it does is confuse what games count and what games don’t. Give me a playoff seed instead anytime. – Larry.
A: Look, this is the modern-day NBA, which means it has to be about the hype. And, to its credit, the league found a way to sell the NBA Cup as an add-on as part of the new television packages. But it sure did sound as if coaches were prepped with talking points about the event, when the reality is that the last thing they need or want to worry about is margin of victory. So others play on in the Cup, while the Heat have rejoined the real season already in progress. In the end, Friday’s victory was reward enough for Erik Spoelstra and his team.
Q: Isaiah Stevens is the best point guard for Miami, but another team will scoop him up. – G.S.
A: You are correct that Isaiah Stevens, unlike those on two-way contracts in the G League, is free to be signed by any NBA team. But also be aware that the Heat, if they truly believe he is a keeper, certainly would find a way to get first dibs on keeping him in their sphere. Still, when you see statistics such as Friday, when the undrafted point guard out of Colorado State had 18 assists for the Heat’s G League affiliate in a Sioux Falls Skyforce win, you would have to figure other teams are taking notice, as well.