Despite the Miami Heat dealing with several injuries, the team is a on four-game winning streak before Monday night's game against the Washington Wizards. With the Heat amid an offensive resurgence, head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about the direction of the unit as they're currently in the home stretch of the season.
Unless Miami wins the last eight games of the season (including Monday night), meaning they'd finish on a 12-game winning streak, the team will fall under .500 this season for the first time since the 2018-29 season. However, Spoelstra isn't focused on that point and more so emphasizes how the team is “trending in the right direction” according to The Sun Senintel.
“I’m focused on the present moment right now,” Spoelstra said Monday morning at shootaround. “We’re trending in a much better direction. It’s getting more consistent and we have something to play for and compete for. That’s always a good thing and we just want to get to a point where we’re ready, wherever that spot may be, that we’re not a team that anybody wants to face.”
Miami is 10th in the Eastern Conference as the team is seemingly locked in to the ninth or current spot which means they'd have to win two games in the play-in tourney to make the playoffs. While some teams try not to look at the standings, Spoelstra speaks on how “natural” it is at this point of the season.
“That’s natural. We’re all competitors, so it’s good to look at the standings at this point,” he said. “But what we talk about 90 percent of the time is our process and continuing to develop the habits that are leading to winning and that stuff is getting more consistent.”
Erik Spoelstra on the Heat's “competitive character”
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Before the winning streak, the Heat were on a 10-game skid which really put a bad mark on the season and virtually ruined any chance of Miami getting out of the play-in tournament. Still, the team has overcome the deficiencies and playing their best basketball in a long time amidst a season of disappointment.
Spoelstra would compliment the team for how they're competing in the last four games according to The Miami Herald.
“Our guys love to compete,” Spoelstra said after Saturday's win over Philadelphia. “I said this while we were losing games: We all felt alive. Our locker room felt alive. We felt alive from the competition, from the challenge, and how frustrating it was. If you’re in those circumstances, that can also make you feel dead; that was not the case with this group. There is a competitive character in this group. It’s a group that wants to figure it out, wants to play well for each other and get to another level.”
“Guys are having fun with the competition and having these games means something,” Spoelstra continued. “We feel like we’re playing for something. It’s not like whatever those narratives are out there. There is something to play for and that’s exciting.”
At any rate, Miami is 33-41 which puts them 10th in the Eastern Conference as said before.
