To say the way the 2016-17 season ended for the Miami Heat was disappointing would be an understatement of epic proportions. Going 30-11 in the final 41 games of the year and somehow still missing the postseason is a bitter pill to swallow.
Naturally, the oddball group of misfits and former castaways that head coach Erik Spoelstra whipped into shape this season really wanted a shot at the playoffs. They deserved at least that much. However, the 19-game deficit below .500 ultimately proved insurmountable, as the team came just one game short of their goal.
Now, as the Heat head into the offseason, it is time to look back and reflect on some of the positives from this past year. The basketball gods may have shunned Miami in the end, sure. However, their on-court chemistry, off-court camaraderie and the unprecedented turnaround that saw them climb all the way back up the standings to reach .500 will never be forgotten in Miami.
While at first it may sound foolishly optimistic to claim the Heat had a “good” season — they actually achieved some truly remarkable feats this year. As a team — they broke records. As individuals — they set new standards and soared to new heights. As competitors — they were second-to-none in their fearlessness. For that — this Heat team deserves some serious credit.
All in all, there were a handful of impressive (if not unexpected) accomplishments achieved by Miami in 2016-17. These accomplishments translate into some genuine positive takeaways that are worth noting heading into the offseason.
Here are five reasons the Heat’s 2016-17 season was a success:
5. At Least Six Heat Players Had ‘Career’ Years
Nobody in their right mind would have considered James Johnson as a contender for Sixth Man of the Year or Most Improved Player before the season began. That’s because no one could’ve possibly predicted the 6-foot-9 journeyman to come close to doing what he did this season.
Johnson began the season in the best shape of his career — a full 30 pounds lighter than his usual playing weight. Before this season, his best statistical season in the NBA was with the Toronto Raptors back in 2011-12 when he averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. (A year earlier he had nearly identical numbers for Toronto, but only played in 25 games). From that point, he bounced around the league like a beach ball at a rock concert — playing for six teams in eight years. His numbers and minutes were on a steady decline as Johnson became increasingly irrelevant.
Then, he landed in Miami, and everything changed. This season, Johnson averaged 12.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Furthermore, he was easily one of Miami’s most versatile and reliable players over the course of its epic turnaround that began in mid-January. Unfortunately, Spoelstra opted to have Johnson come off the bench for most of the season, but by the end of the year, he became a starter.
In the handful of games he actually started, Johnson averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists to go along with his 1.6 made threes per game and an impressive 50 percent field-goal percentage. That’s an entirely new realm for the likes of Johnson.
“He made the biggest commitment, and it was to himself,” Spoelstra said of Johnson. “To really push himself to be something different, to commit to the work, to his profession, being the best version he could possibly be of himself, and he was very open to our culture and us helping him get to somewhere different.”
Several other Heat players averaged career-highs in various categories this season, too:
- Tyler Johnson averaged all-time highs in points (13.7), rebounds (4.0), assists (3.2), steals (1.2), and blocks (0.6) per game.
- Goran Dragic matched career-highs in points (20.3), rebounds (3.8), and field goals made per game (7.3) this season.
- Sharpshooter Wayne Ellington made 149 3-pointers this year. He had never even made 100 threes in any season before this.
- Hassan Whiteside‘s numbers went from 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last season to 17.0 points and a league-leading 14.1 rebounds per game this season. He tallied a career-best 57 steals, too.
- Though Dion Waiters was hurt most of the year, he managed to rack up career numbers in rebounds (3.3), assists (4.3), and blocks (0.4) per game, while nearly matching his career-high in points per game with 15.8. His best scoring average was 15.9 points per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013-14. He was also extremely clutch against top-tier opponents, helping the Heat earn a few signature wins along the way. Who can forgot his epic game-winner versus the Golden State Warriors a few months back?
Next: A Season for the Record Books
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4. A Season for the Record Books
Not only did the Heat tally the longest winning streak in the NBA this year with 13 straight, they also became the only team in history to finish the season with an even record after falling 13+ games below .500. In fact, at one point, Miami was drowning at 19 games under .500, and still miraculously found a way to battle all the way back to a 41-41 record.
That’s totally unprecedented; no one’s ever even come close to accomplishing that.
By the way, those 13 straight wins also marked the longest winning streak by any team below .500 — ever. In addition, they’re the only team in NBA history to finish out a season going 30-11 or better and fail to make the playoffs. The two other teams in Heat history that finished 30-11 or better both went on to win the NBA championship.
It shouldn’t go unmentioned that Miami also led the NBA this season with eight total players scoring in double-digit figures. Naturally, the team would trade these records for a playoff berth — but they are still remarkable statistics to consider.
Next: Erik Spoelstra Helped Re-Establish Heat Culture
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3. Erik Spoelstra Helped Re-Establish Heat Culture
The entire Heat fan base was down in the dumps after learning that Chris Bosh would, yet again, be unable to suit up for Miami for the 2016-17 season. After sitting out the second halves of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, the team was hoping to finally have the last remnant of the “Big Three” back healthy. Obviously, that’s not what happened.
As if that wasn’t hard enough for the Heat, before the final Bosh prognosis, South Florida had to suffer through the losses of both LeBron James and, of course, Dwyane Wade. That’s a lot to overcome, from any standpoint. It’d be tough to recall a time in the past in which any NBA team had to bounce back from a mass exodus of talent on a scale like that.
However, somehow, some way, coach Spoelstra got these guys to buy into the familial, yet professional and business-like approach to the game. That is, the Heat culture — and it’s not for everyone. That “culture” helped keep guys from hanging their heads too low when all seemed lost. Belief in the system, and in the organization as a whole, helped propel the team to its outstanding second half of the season. Miami did a whole lot more than just finish .500 and rattle off a bunch of quality wins, though.
They put the entire league on notice.
When a free agent sees what Pat Riley and Spoelstra were able to do with a team made up of mostly D-Leaguers, undrafted rookies and veteran journeymen, it helps him understand what this franchise is capable of. It’s hard for any team to win in the NBA, and other teams with a whole lot more talent ended up with far worse records this year. Not to mention, no team was hit harder by the injury bug this season than the Heat were. Still, they overcame — and seemed to have a lot of fun while doing it.
All of that, coupled with the fact that the Heat managed to sell out 41 games this year with zero All-Stars on the roster is remarkable. That’s the type of success, loyalty and commitment that helps sway undecided free agents in the offseason. Hopefully for the Heat, they will officially be able to dump Bosh’s salary from the cap this summer. That would allow them to court high-caliber free agents looking to make new homes for themselves with an organization of the highest quality.
Next: A Strong, Irreplaceable Brotherhood Was Formed
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2. A Strong, Irreplaceable Brotherhood Was Formed
“It was like a movie or something,” said Whiteside, looking back on Miami’s season.
Though Miami lost out on a chance to prove itself in the playoffs, what it gained was perhaps more valuable than that. Each and every member of the Heat gained an unbreakable bond of brotherhood over the season.
“I’ve played for a dozen pro teams, had hundreds of teammates,” Whiteside told reporters after the Heat’s final game. “You all know my story, I’ve been all around the world, and this is definitely one of my favorites, if not my favorite (team). Sometimes you got one or two guys that you’re really close with, but with this, the whole team was like that. Everybody just gelled well.”
Coach Spoelstra, who’s been bounced from the NBA Finals twice in the past (in 2011 and 2014) seemed more upset at the end result of the 2016-17 season than any other before:
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this way about a team before, or wanted something more for a team,” Spoelstra said in his final presser of the season.
Even Heat Lifer Udonis Haslem — who’s seen it all in this league — said this group of guys in 2016-17 was particularly special. Despite his infamous tough-guy image, Haslem reportedly even cried when it was all said and done:
“This has probably been one of the more enjoyable rides for me,” Haslem said after Miami was bounced from playoff contention on Wednesday. “I’ve been on some championship teams but, for me, this is probably the most fun team I’ve had the opportunity to play on.”
Next: The Heat’s ‘Long-Term’ Core Looks Very Promising
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1. The Heat’s ‘Long-Term’ Core Looks Very Promising
Miami has three players signed through to the 2019-20 season. Those players are Dragic, Tyler Johnson and Whiteside. Not a bad core based on their performances this season. Though they’re obviously not the Big 3, Riley and the team should be thrilled with the steady improvement of these three competitors.
Having Dragic as a primary ball-handler/scorer for years to come is certainly an exciting prospect. The Slovenian has taken his game to new heights since arriving in Miami — and he’s still only 30 years old.
Whiteside is 27, and seems largely over the “attitude issues” that had plagued his stock in the past. This past season — the first year of his four-year, $98 million deal — the 7-footer led the league in rebounds. He’s still improving, too. Under the continued guidance of Haslem, Juwan Howard and Spoelstra, Whiteside should continue to play like a franchise big man for years to come.
As for Tyler Johnson, he was third in the league in bench scoring this season and he’s only 24. Furthermore, he is beloved within the Heat organization for his endless heart, hustle and tenacity. Though none of them came cheap, these are three guys that Miami should feel really good about long-term.
Second-year forward Justise Winslow looked great before he went down, too. He’s locked up with the Heat until 2018-19, when Miami will have a team option for the former first-rounder worth just under $3.5 million. That’s not bad at all, if it’s assumed he will continue to improve. Guys like James Johnson and Waiters, who played excellent basketball in 2016-17, have also expressed interest in staying with the Heat past this year.
All in all, while the end result was not what the team or its fans quite hoped for, it’s clear the 2016-17 season was rewarding in a plethora of other ways. Of course it isn’t normal for a team to have so many positives to take into the offseason after finishing just .500. Then again, nothing about this Heat season was “normal.” Frankly, fans may never see anything quite like it again, in Miami or anywhere else — and that’s just another reason this year was so special for the Heat.
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