MIAMI — Understand, this is not normal, or, more to the point, not Miami Heat normal.

For the better part of the franchise’s 37 previous seasons, the touchstone was the defense, certainly during these past three decades of the Pat Riley Era.

To a degree, it still is, with the Heat going into Thursday’s New Year’s game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena with the No. 4 defensive rating in the NBA.

But it is the offensive explosions, the ones that came at the start of this season and have returned over the past week, that have turned heads.

No, these are not your parents’ Miami Heat.

Or even last season’s Miami Heat.

As a matter of perspective, entering this season, the Heat had scored 140 or more points eight times over their 37 seasons:

153 vs. New Orleans Pelicans, April 11, 2025

149 vs. Denver Nuggets, March 19, 2018

144 vs. Houston Rockets, April 5, 2022

142 vs. Portland Trail Blazers, March 29, 2024

142 vs. Indiana Pacers, Nov. 30, 2023

141 vs. Golden State Warriors, Feb. 27, 2019

141  vs. Sacramento Kings. Feb. 25, 1991 (2OT)

140 vs. Charlotte Hornets, Jan. 20, 2007

That’s it.

Eight times in 37 seasons.

This season?

This season, seven already, less than halfway through the schedule, including in each of the past two games:

147 vs. Denver Nuggets, Monday

146 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Oct. 24

144 vs. Charlotte Hornets, Oct. 28

143 vs. Chicago Bulls, November 21

142 vs. Indiana Pacers, Friday

140 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Dec. 1

140 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, Nov. 10, (OT)

That’s seven times out of 33 games.

When the going has been good in the pace race installed by Erik Spoelstra, it has allowed the good times to roll, the Heat 7-0 when scoring 140 this season (14-0 all-time, for that matter).

There was a point a few weeks back when there were calls to trash the high-octane approach, with little premium about the results in the standings, as the Heat fell back to .500. That also was a time when the Heat were cycling through a series of injuries and absences.

But to a man, the players insisted this week it wasn’t the system, but rather getting away from the tenets of the system.

“It’s been a huge emphasis just since training camp,” guard Norman Powell said. “And obviously, when you’re down a couple bodies, it’s kind of hard to keep that pace up. But that’s the style that we want to continue to play with. I think it rises everybody’s skill set and potential with this offense and how we want to play every single night — makes, misses, getting out of transition, hunting for easy looks, quick attacks when the defense isn’t set up.

“And it complements everybody’s skill set.”

Center Bam Adebayo, who had missed two games with back pain before jumping back into the offensive free-for-all that was Monday night’s 147-123 victory over the Nuggets at Kaseya Center, said it is particularly sating when everybody eats.

“I mean, the proof is in the pudding,” he said. “Obviously, when we play with pace, we play off of rebounds, we defend and get stops, we can score 147. As you can see, everybody feels involved because we’re getting that many more possessions.”

By now, opponents know it’s coming. But to Spoelstra that does not matter if offered with intention, aggression, relentlessness.

“The slower we play, I think the more average we become,” he said. “Regardless of whether teams scout us and try to prepare for it, it’s got to feel different when you actually play against it. And it requires mental and physical energy and commitment every single night, which we’re fully capable of. We’ve got a deep roster.”

The lesson through the first 33 games essentially has been pace or perish.

“I think you can see that when we do reach those numbers, we are getting stops, we are flying around, we are being active, we are holding each other accountable on both sides of the ball and making sure we’re getting the best looks possible,” said Powell, who is leading the Heat at 23.8 points per game.

“We just got to continue to work through those lulls in the game as it goes through its ebbs and flows, its runs. We know we’re playing against the best basketball players in the world, so the opposing team is going to go on runs. But as long as we continue to hold on to the rope and fight together, we’re going to give ourselves the best opportunity to win.”

As much as anything, Powell said it is the relentlessness.

“I think we figured it out and just the play style and the mentality and approach that we have to have on a nightly basis,” he said. “We can’t get bored with the process.”