MIAMI — The narrative about this Miami Heat regular season is that the season got away because of losses to bottom feeders such as the Magic, Pistons, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Spurs and, twice apiece to the Wizards.
But the reality is entering the weekend those teams this season have won a combined 200 games. So the Heat hardly were alone in that regard. Bad teams win games.
A far more significant narrative, one that is so critical in the postseason, is that the Heat did not step up to many of the most meaningful challenges over the second half of their schedule, games that not only could have swung the standings, but also instilled the type of confidence needed for what comes next.
