Anyone who watched the Heat play the Knicks and Nets on back-to-back nights in New York recently would have come away from those two games with the same thought: The Heat couldn’t care less about the outcome.
Sure, LeBron James was in a bad mood throughout the Nets game, and then tried to launch a furious bid to win the game by himself, but the Heat weren’t exactly crying when the game ended. And, really, can you blame them?
After three straight trips to the NBA Finals, which also means three straight 100-plus-game seasons, the Heat are trying to become the first team since Larry Bird’s mid-1980s Celtics to go to four straight Finals. There’s a reason the feat is so difficult to achieve: the combination of the mental and physical fatigue that wears on teams who go through the rigors of one deep playoff run after another (something that goes double for the Heat, given all of the attention they have received over the last three-plus years).
That’s why Miami is doing everything it can to ease through the regular season. The Heat are playing Dwyane Wade in one half of virtually every back-to-back, regardless of opponent. They’re sitting players down whenever they feel remotely injured. They’re playing James fewer minutes than he’s ever played in his career.
But there is still the six-month, 82-game regular season for the Heat to slog through, and it’s an even bigger slog in the East, where the Heat already know they have nothing to worry about until Memorial Day weekend, when the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers begin.
In the meantime, the Heat will continue to coast their way to the playoffs, hoping they can stay as healthy as possible for when the real season begins. And whether or not people are happy with that, their approach isn’t going to change.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses):
1. Pacers (1): Thanks to Miami’s recent swoon, the Pacers now have a four-game lead in the loss column for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Given how much importance the Pacers have publicly put on earning the top spot – and how little Miami has seemed to care so far – it seems almost certain they’ll claim it.
2. Trail Blazers (4): Already with wins over San Antonio and Dallas this weekend, Portland has a chance to cement itself as the top dog in the Western Conference with games in Houston and Oklahoma City on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
3. Spurs (2): San Antonio is still lacking for a win against an elite opponent after Friday’s loss to Portland. That being said, the Spurs are tied for the best record in the West and everyone’s healthy, which they’d gladly take through the first 40 games.
4. Thunder (5): Impressive back-to-back wins over the Rockets and Warriors without Russell Westbrook have allowed the Thunder to stay within striking distance at the top of the Western Conference.
5. Clippers (7): Even without Chris Paul, the Clippers have kept winning. Though no one would ever want to lose a player of Paul’s caliber, not having him for several weeks could prove to be a blessing in disguise.
6. Heat (6): Lost amid the silly debates about LeBron James and his Instagram account has been the return of Greg Oden to regular-season action for the first time in four years. If there’s anyone worth rooting for in the sport right now, Oden is near the top of the list.
7. Warriors (3): Golden State has cooled off after winning 10 straight, dropping games to the Nets, Nuggets and Thunder. But the Warriors have established themselves as true contenders in the West.
8. Grizzlies (14): Last week in this space, it was asked whether Memphis thought it could still make the playoffs. Well, after winning five in a row, the Grizzlies have moved within two games of the eighth spot in the West and have Marc Gasol back in the lineup. Perhaps the Grizzlies still can.
9. Raptors (8): Toronto continues to roll along, racking up wins and hanging onto the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Everyone keeps waiting to see if the Raptors are going to keep making moves, but it looks as if they might stand pat.
10. Rockets (9): Thursday’s game against the Thunder has to be one of the strangest in the history of the NBA, as the Rockets followed up a 73-point first half with a 19-point second half. It also was a perfect summation of a bizarre 2013-14 season in Houston.
11. Mavericks (10): Dallas had a chance to take a swing at one of the West’s elite Saturday night at home, and were promptly blown off their home floor by the Trail Blazers, losing by 34 entering the fourth. This team feels like nothing more than a fringe playoff contender in the West.
12. Nets (27): The trip across the Atlantic didn’t cool off the Nets, who claimed their sixth win in seven since the start of 2014 by destroying Atlanta. If Brooklyn is finally for real, however, it should come away with victories against the Knicks and Magic.
13 Suns (11): The Suns have wobbled since Eric Bledsoe was lost because of a meniscus injury, but still are 2.5 games ahead of Denver and Memphis for eighth in the West. It’s a lot to ask for Phoenix to continue to overachieve without him.
14. Nuggets (13): The roller-coaster ride that’s been the 2013-14 season continues, though through it all the Nuggets have still managed to stay in contention in the West.
15. Bulls (12): The Bulls continue to rumble on in the wake of the Luol Deng trade, remaining a game out of third place and 3.5 ahead of ninth. They’d be better off finishing ninth or worse, of course, but it remains to be seen whether the relentless will of Tom Thibodeau and Joakim Noah will prevent that result.
16. Wizards (20): The Jekyll-and-Hyde Wizards reappeared Saturday night, when after beating the Heat and streaking Bulls earlier this week, Washington couldn’t find a way to beat the Pistons at home. This team remains impossible to decipher.
17. Timberwolves (18): The Timberwolves are now 0-11 in games decided by four points or less this season. In the loaded Western Conference – where the difference between making and missing the playoffs is razor-thin – that might prove to be what keeps Minnesota home in May.
18. Hawks (15): Atlanta got run off the court by the Nets on Thursday in London, and it seems hard to envision how they will cope with the massive void left by center Al Horford’s absence at both ends of the floor.
19. Pistons (22): Even with Friday’s dreadful loss to Utah, the Pistons have won three of their last five games and maintained playoff position in the East. They still have so many issues to sort out, but they’re managing to win some games while doing so.
20. Kings (19): Between Isaiah Thomas, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings seem to have a solid foundation to build around. Add to it one of the elite players at the top of this year’s loaded draft and perhaps things are finally going to start turning around for the team in California’s capital city.
21. Cavaliers (26): Cleveland has now won four of its past seven games – including a win in Denver on Friday – and it’s looking like Luol Deng is having the kind of influence on them that many predicted.
22. Jazz (25): Scored just 23 points in the first half on Saturday in Minneapolis. Utah continues to be one of the gifts that keep on giving for other teams around the league.
23. Knicks (17): A disappointing loss in Charlotte followed by blowout losses to Indiana and the Clippers has the Knicks in 11th in the East and two games out of a playoff spot. Their next six games, however, come at home against the following opponents: Nets, 76ers, Bobcats, Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers.
24. 76ers (21): With losses in six of their past seven games, the Sixers continue to steadily conform to meager preseason expectations. Can they help prevent the Pelicans from falling into the bottom five teams in the league – and, thus, getting their draft pick.
25. Bobcats (23): Things went from bad to worse Saturday night for Charlotte, which has now lost Kemba Walker to a sprained left ankle that coach Steve Clifford said is going to keep Walker out “for a while. We don’t know how long.” If it’s a lengthy period, the Bobcats are in serious trouble.
26. Celtics (27): Rajon Rondo’s return Friday night against the Lakers went perfectly for Boston: Rondo was named captain, signaling the Celtics are going to make him the centerpiece of their rebuild; Rondo played 19 healthy and uneventful minutes; and the Celtics suffered yet another loss.
27. Lakers (28): With 13 losses in their past 15 games, the race to the bottom is on for the Lakers. In addition to potentially trading Pau Gasol and waiting to see when – or if – Kobe Bryant returns, the next few months could be about deciding whether Kendall Marshall is a legit fit for Mike D’Antoni’s system or Chris Duhon 2.0.
28. Pelicans (24): Losing Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson has had the expected impact on New Orleans, which has lost eight straight despite the brilliance of Anthony Davis. Keeping their first-round pick (which is top-five protected) now seems like a legitimate possibility.
29. Bucks (29): Here’s a funny Gary Neal quote in lieu of anything about the team itself: “I can’t control playing time. I can’t control getting traded. I can’t control not getting traded. I can control staying in shape and trying to be the best basketball player Gary Neal can be.”
30. Magic (30): Now 1-9 in 2014 after finally getting a win Sunday over Boston, the Magic appear to be trying to give the Bucks a run for their money to finish with the NBA’s worst record – something that didn’t seem possible as recently as a week or two ago.