The Miami Heat wake up this morning the proud new owners of one of the two losses that teams have suffered at the hands of the pitiful Washington Wizards this year. As a Heat fan, I am used to the barrage of gloating texts from friends, even those who can't name a player on the Wizards. The truth, though, is that I don't mind when the Heat lose to NBA scrubs; or at least I am used to it. All of the benefit of supporting the greatest team to touch the hardwood since Jordan's Bulls comes with one small drawback: they don't care what happens during the regular season. Let me clarify, ownership cares, Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra definitely care, but the veteran Heat team knows that they only need to show up come Spring.
The reason you never notice the Heat's tendency to play down to inferior opponents is that they almost always turn it on in the fourth quarter and come away with the win. That is Miami's problem in a nutshell, they know they are too good to have to play 48 minutes. Take, for instance, the win over Houston on November 12th. The Rockets outplayed Miami for three quarters until LeBron decided to put up a Reggie Miller-esque barrage and go 5-7 from outside the arc. LeBron covered up what this game really was, an embarrassing display of defensive indifference from the Heat.
Two weeks later, the Heat barely eked out a win over the lowly Cavaliers who also outplayed them for forty-six minutes. It took a 15 point fourth quarter effort from Ray Allen, including a dagger with 18 seconds left, to get a W. This was another game where the offense was there, as usual, but the defense decided to take the night off, giving up 108 points to a three-win Cleveland team.
If there are any Washington fans reading this article (or left in the world), enjoy your team's 2nd win, but don't expect anything but disappointment in the near future. This was the sort of game that happens when a team is very motivated and playing against a lax opponent; it is not the kind of basketball that leads to a winning record. The high percentage from the floor (48%) and insane assist balance (no one had more than 6) tells us that this team wanted it tonight, but doesn't have a go-to guy or even a go-to game plan.
Ultimately, the Heat players knew that this game meant nothing, and that is exactly what should be taken away from it: nothing. Winning their second game of the season doesn't change what a disappointment the Wizards have been and everyone knows that Miami will show up in April as planned and play up to good opponents as much as they play down to the bad.
The Heat's next test will be on Thursday when they host the New York Knicks who handed them their first loss of the season.
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