MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 125-119 double-overtime victory over the Orlando Magic:
– This was what was needed, when needed.
– Erik Spoelstra often talks about relief points; this was a relief victory.
– Reality could have further hit home Monday with the Heat sending Jimmy Butler home.
– Teams typically do not win without their best player.
– Tyler Herro certainly has made a run at that distinction this season, but Jimmy Butler when available is the Heat’s best two-way player.
– (The Heat’s only two-way player?)
– It’s hard to fathom him being available again to the Heat.
– Ever.
– And it’s just as difficult to fathom anything obtained in a trade being close to anything as valuable.
– So it will take efforts such as these to stay afloat.
– Maximum heart, hustle and effort.
– Continued growth of Kel’el Ware.
– And plenty of 3-pointers.
– So the good fight will be fought.
– But the notion of a top seed fearing the Heat?
– It likely will take even more than this.
– That’s what makes this near final chapter of the Butler saga so sobering.
– And, so, officially a transition season.
– Even with a heartening moment such as Monday night.
– With issue tabled of where the lineup would stand with a Butler return, the Heat again opened with a lineup of Herro, Ware, Bam Adebayo, Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson.
– So, yes, shot creation again at a premium.
– Spoelstra stopped short of a long-term commitment to that lineup.
– “I’ll make adjustments if we need to, whatever we feel is necessary right now,” he said. “We’re learning more about this group as we go on, and we’ll figure it out.”
– Robinson had been listed as questionable until an hour before the game, due to illness.
– With the appearance, Robinson passed Goran Dragic for 11th on the Heat all-time regular-season list, at 391.
– As it was, the Heat were without Jaime Jaquez Jr. due to illness.
– The Magic opened with Anthony Black, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.
– Two early fouls sent Ware to the Heat bench early, with Nikola Jovic replacing him with 8:50 left in the opening period.
– Terry Rozier and Pelle Larsson then followed together.
– With Larsson looking more and more like a rotation piece.
– Especially with Butler away.
– And then Kevin Love was brought out of the Heat deep freeze. He had not played since Jan. 13, held out of 12 of the previous 13.
–The game marked the fourth and final regular-season matchup against Orlando this season. It’s the earliest the teams have ever ended their series, surpassing the previous quickest calendar date Feb. 2, 1991.
– It also marks the first Eastern Conference team Miami will conclude its series against. By contrast, the Heat have yet to play against Chicago or Memphis.
– Ware’s second basket was his 100th in the NBA.
– Herro extended his franchise record to 78 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer.
– It was Herro’s 70th consecutive regular-season game scoring in double figures. As a means of comparison, Butler’s longest such Heat streak is 63 consecutive games. The franchise record is 294 by LeBron James.
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