For the Miami Heat, 2023 will be similar to the end of 2022 in at least one way: No advantage is secure.
This time, there was a first-half advantage of 21 points and a halftime advantage of 18. Afterward, the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth were both deficits.
As they prepare for their second road game in the Los Angeles region on Wednesday, the Miami Heat are still unbeaten. However, the Miami Heat would need to make more attempts to succeed if they wanted to extend their current winning run to two by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Some may argue they only managed one victory on Monday after defeating the Clippers twice. This is what it means:
The Miami Heat looked just as fluid, connected, and Miami Heat-like in the first half as they had all year as they dominated the Los Angeles team. They played for each other on a rope, the best offensive result, and on both sides of the ball.
The Heat had this game in the bag after taking a 67-49 lead into halftime. After all, they had just finished what many considered their most significant half of the season.
Wrong. In the third period, the Miami Heat left the game as they were accustomed to, allowing this Clippers club to regain the lead quickly.
The Miami Heat would enter the fourth with a two-point deficit after losing the third quarter, 14-34. But at that point, the tide turned again in their favor.
The Heat was able to regain concentration and come up with crucial stops when they were needed, making enough crucial plays and making enough big shots to secure the victory. And for that reason, they had to triumph twice.
They gave this Clippers team an immediate opportunity to regain the lead after building one early on that ought to have been manageable throughout. They had to struggle just as much to win it as they had to make that substantial advantage in the first place.
However, everything works out in the end, mainly when a man like Bam Adebayo acts out as he did. He continues to demonstrate a much more forceful side of himself, which was a significant factor in their victory in this game.
The Miami Heat prevailed despite blowing a sizable lead, with Jimmy Butler failing to reach double figures thanks to a whopping 31 points from Bam on the night.
The Heat will have the next day free before playing the other team again in Los Angeles. Hoping they make it easier to win that one than they did on Monday.