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MIAMI — For maybe the first time in the Miami Heat's historic second half, head coach Erik Spoelstra didn't have an answer.
His team had just completed the league's first rise from being 13 games below .500—it was 19 under in this case—back to an even 41-41. The Heat, who were 11-30 at the midway point of the 2016-17 season, had secured their 30th victory since Jan. 17, a feat bettered only by the superpower Golden State Warriors.
But none of it mattered. Or rather, none of it changed the fact Miami's season-ending 110-102 win over the Washington Wizards was just that—a season-ender.