Miami Heat Streak Ended At The Best Time Possible

The Miami Heat will not set the all-time record for consecutive wins.

The Heat lost a hard-fought game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, cutting their streak at 27 games, six short of tying the all-time record of 33 set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

So, though the Miami Heat will have to settle for the second-best NBA win streak (and second-best of all major American sports as well), the end couldn’t have come at a better time for the Miami Heat. The team is currently 11 games up on the No. 2 New York Knicks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, so the Heat have their playoff position all but assured.

At this point, the Heat don’t need more wins; they need more rest. Dwyane Wade has been dinged up during the streak, and LeBron James is averaging more than 38 minutes per game.

Had the Heat won on Wednesday, they would have been compelled to keep playing LeBron at the same rate and likely would have rushed Wade through his continued recovery. They would have been focused on winning every game.

But that’s not what the Heat need right now. They need to be focused on winning a championship. That means rest down the stretch for Wade and James and renewed focus on the big picture instead of each game.

Even as it ended, the Miami Heat players were able to enjoy the streak.

“It’s one of the best that this league has ever seen,” James said, referring to the streak that began on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3. “We recognized that and rightfully so.”

Now LeBron said the team can reflect on its accomplishment.

“We haven’t had a chance to really have a moment to know what we just did,” James said. “We had a moment, just very fortunate, very humbling and blessed to be part of this team and be part of a streak like that.”

Now that the winning streak is over, the Miami Heat can be part of something even bigger — winning a second straight championship.