The month of March has been more than memorable for your Miami Heat. In what can easily be considered the best calendar month of basketball the Heat have played since LeBron James left town, the Heat have shown what they’re really made of. Let’s take a look at some in-depth statistics and accomplishments achieved by this Heat team since March 1st.
1. Six Players Are Averaging Double-Digit Scoring Figures
Dwyane Wade: 19.4 PPG
Hassan Whiteside: 18.4 PPG
Goran Dragic: 17.0 PPG
Luol Deng 14.0 PPG
Joe Johnson: 12.9 PPG
Josh Richardson: 12.8 PPG
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2. Offensive Efficiency Has Been Through the Roof
Since March 1st, the Heat have maintained an offensive efficiency rating of 112.4. For point of reference, only the Golden State Warriors, largely believed to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled, have a higher offensive efficiency, at 114.5.
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3. The Heat Have a Record of 10-4 in March
The team has a very strong chance to go 11-4 when they face the bottom-dwelling Los Angeles Lakers on March 30th, too. You have a second-round rookie pick (Richardson) and a guy who was playing at the Charlotte YMCA (Whiteside) a year and a half ago to thank for this. While Richardson is certainly doing his thing in March (we’ll touch more on that in a bit), Whiteside has tallied 237 blocks this season. That’s 73 more than DeAndre Jordan, who is in second place right now. Couple that with his recent scoring and rebounding efforts and you have the makings of a top-three NBA center, leading his team to new heights.
Wade had this to say about Whiteside after Tuesday night’s win vs. the Brooklyn Nets:
“He’s going to different levels that a lot of people haven’t seen,” Wade said, “I’m happy for the way he’s approached it. He’s getting better and better and better with his maturity. And his basketball is really going to another level. In my eyes, looking around the league, he’s the defensive player of the year.”
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4. Josh Richardson Is Shooting .635 from Three-Point Range
The 22-year-old has officially burst onto the scene. He is also shooting a deadly .568 from the field in March. Not impressed? See below:
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5. Miami Is Averaging 110.9 Points Per Game
In February, the team averaged only 101.5 PPG. In January, a mere 93.9 PPG. The uptick in numbers is largely due to the addition of Joe Johnson, but also the uptick in play of Deng, Richardson and Whiteside.
If the Heat continue to surge like this, they will be a serious headache for anyone they face in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference standings are as tight as can be right now, particularly when it comes to the three-through-six spots. Currently, Miami is fourth in the standings with a record of 43-30. The Atlanta Hawks are also surging as of late and hold the third spot with a record of 45-30. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics hold the fifth spot, while the Charlotte Hornets hold the sixth spot, with records of 43-31 and 42-31, respectively.
It will be interesting to see how the team manages its current chemistry and efficiency if Bosh returns for the playoffs. At the moment, his return has not been ruled out and players are staying positive that, at the very least, a return come playoff time is possible. If that’s the case, it will be hard to see many teams outlasting Miami in a seven-game series, including the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, who tend to struggle mightily in Miami.
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