The Heat's road trip produced the team's first back-to-back defeats since January but, like LeBron James emphasized after Friday's 101-100 loss to the Nets, it's not "doomsday" for the back-to-back champs.
Well, obviously, but Heat fans do like to overact.
ANYWAY ... Despite the losses, there were actually some pretty encouraging signs for the Heat offensively in Philadelphia and Brooklyn:
—With Dwyane Wade out of the lineup to rest his legs, the Heat scored 45 points in 12 minutes against the Sixers, setting an all-time record for points in a quarter at Wells Fargo Center. In the second and third quarters against Philadelphia, Miami scored 80 points and shot 13 of 19 from three-point range.
—On Friday, Wade returned to the lineup and looked refreshed and nimble against the Nets. That Wade’s body responded well to its scheduled rest was probably the most important development of the Heat’s first three games of the season. He scored 21 points against the Nets and was the Heat’s most effective player in the paint.
—Wade finished 10 of 11 from the free-throw line against Brooklyn and showed no fear crashing to the floor or colliding hard under the basket with defenders.
—Led by LeBron James, the Heat averaged 27 assists in their two losses.
—Spoelstra challenged Chris Bosh this preseason to further develop his three-point shooting and Bosh has responded well. He is 4 of 7 from three-point range through the first three games of the season and shot 3 of 5 from three-point range on the road trip.
—The Heat trailed by 12 points with less three minutes to play on Friday, but rallied in dramatic fashion and were one missed free throw by Ray Allen away from having a chance to tie or win on the game’s final possession.
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