Q: I have this to say about the Miami Heat. They have really not slid backwards. If they win just two more of their final four games they will have a 43-win season, which is six games better than last year. So, to me, that’s improvement, especially with two of their young players really stepping up this year, in Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson. – Roland, Borrego Springs, Calif.
A: And in a normal season, your reasoning would be logical and cogent. But this was not a normal season, with five teams in the East ultimately playing for lottery balls and with four the West ultimately doing the same. So that pumped up records in the middle of the East, essentially to the degree you mention. Yes, wins matter. And, yes, a winning season matters. But all you needed to do was listen to the returning players to know that this season was all about finishing ahead of the play-in . . . or bust. While there still is time for a top-six seed, that remains highly unlikely. Thus the thought of somewhat of a bust season. Additionally, much of last season’s decline was attributed to the Jimmy Butler distraction. This season, no such distraction.
Q: Winning these Toronto games would be huge. In my eyes, they will be the biggest remaining test to know whether there’s any hope left for the season. These games have to be our championship. If we’re making the playoffs, we’re going to have to do it on the road. – Dim.
A: First, nice to have something to respond to other than a plea for the lottery. And, yes, the games Tuesday and Thursday in Toronto will allow the Heat to take stock. We know they’re not at the level of those at the top, as the Wednesday loss to the Celtics showed. But we also know they can mostly punish the bad, as the Saturday rout of the Wizards showed. But a pair of wins in Toronto could extend the chase for a top-six seed to closing night, which, if nothing else, will give meaning to all 82 games of the regular season.
Q: If we retain Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell, we can give the Bucks one of the best packages out there. – Payne.
A: Except, Powell and Wiggins could be free agents in the offseason, therefore not tradeable by the Heat. Which is why a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo arguably could have been easier for the Heat at the Feb. 5 NBA trading deadline, had Milwaukee been so inclined. Now, the salaries the Heat could put into play could wind up much more limited, even with sign-and-trade possibilities.