Miami Heat Basketball: Title Contending Ability

There’s no running around it, as the Miami Heat have walked through an alley of trouble after suffering four straight losses to Philadelphia, Golden State, New York, and Brooklyn

[{"selector":"#anim-5de1ed4c-884c-4c6d-b9b4-5beb81a37e91","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1d8d065c-e040-4e76-be28-94548f5526e6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 114.55938%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-402bee4d-9d57-4061-a0df-d6a7a96246a8 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

the Heat returned to the top of the Eastern Conference. And now a road trip with massive seeding implications awaits.

[{"selector":"#anim-755573f7-e3c5-4b3f-a1bc-d125bce6386b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9c70000e-3ad2-4bcb-b95a-afe0824d3961","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 117.71243%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-04d13ef6-e9cf-4e7a-a4a1-58517d54ef28 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

they are now number two in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics by way of tiebreakers—who they are set to face on this Wednesday in Boston.

[{"selector":"#anim-c77e86b5-dc45-4af6-ba1e-85a1d3b09eae","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e20441f6-8737-41dc-a6a6-c6413e2f0e80","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 112.95765%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-db78f84f-5821-4687-9df6-3250f8fcd2bc [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(4.285714008321772%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]

A combined 33 total All-Star appearances were absent during the Heat’s last four losses, as Joel Embiid, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Julius Randle.

[{"selector":"#anim-14390ece-7c07-4d78-adb2-65364a458da2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7b2a04e6-23a8-4473-97f0-d303d204df73","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 206.39224%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f1b0b5d9-0141-400c-9634-430322c47d86 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Miami continued to be outperformed and even outclassed by teams who were without their first, second, or even third option, other than Brooklyn

[{"selector":"#anim-15c7e694-5953-4a8f-8d5d-1e7939dcb4b3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f601a28e-8a6b-47d7-838c-ae36f8b3b6b6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 113.86973%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-709883c1-65ac-4452-af28-b5f973ad0e42 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Miami Heat Basketball outlook of being in title contention has now become a fallacy to many. Miami's 23-point victory margin was its largest since a 24-point win at Atlanta on Jan.

[{"selector":"#anim-12eafe31-570f-4586-bce6-bf0711d2689f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7e303d08-c8f2-4ba8-ae68-e36bbbe72ee1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 208.55218%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3a8afb37-7424-4493-b1a3-a06333d0f8cf [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(4.285714008321772%, 0, 0) translate(25%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0) translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.14,.34,.47,.9)","fill":"forwards"}]

Miami looked exactly the way Kings coach Alvin Gentry expected — especially after the Heat had dropped their last four.

[{"selector":"#anim-dd629e79-8cba-4f9a-a727-973219020856","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3d810877-5596-42fa-bf77-509ffddd50ee","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 138.20943%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d4d33ee8-e31a-48d4-888f-5fbfa525a858 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]