Miami Heat cool off, streak ends at 27 games
Finally.
The Miami Heat’s 27-game win streak ended at the hands of the Chicago Bulls in a 101-97 loss, a feat many teams in the NBA wished they could enjoy. Miami had won an amazing 27 games in a row, just six shy of the LA Laker’s all time record of 33 straight games.
The Heat haven’t lost since the Indianapolis Pacers beat them on Feb 1. While the Heat had their fair share of easy wins, there were many games that saw them overcome double-digit deficits in a late minute surge to pull through with a win. Over the past two months, they have overcome seven double-digit deficits and have trailed in the fourth quarter only to somehow pull it out and keep the streak alive.
It was an incredible ride, but as any team during a win streak says, all the Heat cared about was winning and making the playoffs. When the streak began started, Miami was 5 1/2 games behind San Antonio for the overall NBA lead and only a half-game ahead of New York in the Eastern Conference race.
”All in all, it’s been a great one,” said Chris Bosh. ”We still have a lot of work to do. The streak wasn’t important to us. What’s important to us is winning the title. That’s what we work on. That’s what we’re here for.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra shared similar sentiments.
”We took that moment to acknowledge it, to acknowledge each other, that experience, but it was never about the streak,” Spoelstra said. “We have a bigger goal, but also right now, it’s about `Are we getting better?’”
The Heat certainly have been playing well for Spoelstra, and while 27 wins in a row is a pretty interesting number in itself there are a few other interesting numbers from the streak courtesy of Forbes.com
1: Smallest margin of victory. The one-point win came against the Orlando Magic on March 6, when the Heat won 97-96. The Heat also outlasted the Kings in double overtime on Feb. 26. The final was 141-129.
4: Times a Heat player has won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. LeBron James won three times and Dwyane Wade won once. James also was voted Player of the Month for February.
11: Wins against teams above .500.
13: Road wins.
19: Wins versus the Eastern Conference.
27: Average points per game for James, along with 8.1 rebounds and 8 assists. His season averages before the streak were 26.5, 8.3 and 7.
32: Biggest blowout in a 109-77 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats on March 24.
57.5 percent: James’ shooting percentage compared to 54.7 percent before the streak this season.
While the streak may be over the Heat will not let it bring them down. They are still the most formidable team in the NBA and will continue to play well as they cruise on in to the playoffs. Look for them to be a tough competitor down the stretch as the fight to defend their title from last season.
