The first half between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers displayed perhaps the best set of 24 minutes for the Heat this season. It almost looked like a completely new team to begin 2023.
They led by 18 (after leading by as much as 21), featured offensive connectivity, played on a string with great intensity defensively, won the non-Bam Adebayo minutes by 13 — a monumental accomplishment, given how frontcourt behind him has played the previous 38 games — and, most importantly, they were playing free with tempo.
Though predictably enough, if you’ve been watching the Heat at all this season, it wouldn’t been as big of a surprise to you that its once-21-point lead quickly washed away faster than one could blink in the third turd quarter.