For as much as Sunday night’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets had a playoff atmosphere because of the seeding stakes attached, the reality is that all it did was lift the Heat’s mark against teams with losing records to 24-12.
For as much of a challenge as the Hornets have stood for the Heat this season, they entered with a losing record and exited that way.
Now is when the stakes actually rise, dramatically, with five of the season’s final seven games not only against teams with winning records, but also against teams involved in seeding desperation.