The three-man weave is back after a one-week hiatus to discuss the hot topics in the NBA. As teams make their late-season playoff or draft lottery push, there are several questions that will help shape the landscape of the NBA.
Are we overlooking the value of Miami’s win streak, and will the Heat keep rolling into the playoffs? With Kobe Bryant out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, do the Lakers still even have a shot? And does any Western Conference team have a legitimate shot at bringing home the title?
On the whistle, go:
First Pass: Where does the Miami Heat’s current winning streak rank all time? Are we undervaluing their greatness?
Jeremy Bauman: This is probably the second most impressive winning streak the NBA has ever seen.
When you factor in that they’ve beaten playoff foes by an average of 12.4 points of victory in nine games in their 20-game streak, it becomes obvious that Miami has been extra dialed-in against whoever they’re playing against.
Gail Goodrich, the former Lakers great who was a part of the 1971-72 Lakers team that won 33 in a row, was recently asked about Miamis current streak.
“I’d say this is the most serious challenge we’ve had to our streak,” the Hall of Fame guard told Fox Sports Florida.
Enough said.
Maxwell Ogden: The Miami Heat are now the fifth team in NBA history to secure a winning streak of at least 20 consecutive games. Even still, we’re offering the Heat much less praise and recognition than we did the Los Angeles Clippers when they won 17 straight earlier this season.
Why?
Because we’re jaded.
We expect to see LeBron James dominate and the Miami Heat take control of every opponent they face. For that reason, their ability to win 20 consecutive games is something we see as nothing out of the ordinary—even if it is extraordinary.
The truth of the matter is, this is one of the greatest win streaks ever. Nine downed teams are playoff bound.
Ben Baroff: Miami’s impressive 20-game win-streak has not been under or overvalued.
As impressive as 20 in a row is, what’s its significance come playoff time? LeBron and Co. have been the leagues biggest advocates of how little value the regular season holds, so shouldn’t we be asking the question: are the Heat peaking too early?
The Clippers haven’t been the same team since winning 17 in a row earlier this season and the Spurs went on a remarkable run last year (20 in a row including playoffs, another 20-game streak during the regular season) only to lose four games in a row to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
The Heat have surely been dominant, but can they be dominant when they have to be?