Gap year or not, the Miami Heat are going to force themselves into the race for one of the top 4 seeds in the Eastern Conference. That much has become clear with how strong the Heat have looked through the first few games of the regular season.
It's only been three games, but the Heat have been one of the most impressive teams in the Eastern Conference. Most recently, the Heat sent another clear message after a signature win in their home opener against the New York Knicks.
Even without a fully healthy roster, the Heat managed to control much of the game against the Knicks. Miami opened up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and never looked back. The Heat continues to turn in impressive results, despite being largely overlooked heading into the start of the regular season.
While the story of the first week of the season has certainly been the Heat's new-look offense, there is certainly much more to the Heat's hot start to the season than just their new up-tempo pace of play. In fact, what they've managed to done on the defensive end of the floor is almost as equally impressive.
The Heat's defense is not being talked about
The Heat has the third-best-ranked defensive rating in the league after three games. It's surely a small sample size, but you have to give that unit some credit. Especially after losing Jimmy Butler, many assumed that the Heat were going to drop tremendously on that end of the floor. That simply hasn't happened, and, somehow, their quicker pace of play has almost helped them on that front.
Speaking of the offense, even on a night when the pace was slowed down a bit, the Heat still managed to exert themselves on that end of the floor. Through three games, Miami still ranks in the top 5 of points per game, in the top 10 in 3-point makes and percentage, and 12th in offensive rating.
What was most impressive for the Heat is that even when the game slowed down against the Knicks, Miami's offense never looked broken or too bogged down. They still managed to play quickly and within themselves.
Considering their half-court offense is one of the variables that plagued them a year ago, it was a great sight to see.
The verdict is still out on the Heat, but there's no question they're
Many assumed that the Heat were going to be a non-factor in the Eastern Conference this season, but that doesn't appear to be the case. No one told the Heat that was supposed to happen. Instead, through the first few games of the season, Miami continues to send strong messages to the rest of the conference.
They're not going to go away quietly. And if the Heat plays their cards right, they might mess around and create some serious havoc in the East this season.
