The champion Miami Heat have ascended to No. 2 all-time when it comes to the NBA’s longest winning streaks. LeBron James and his merry band of basketballers extended the streak to 23 games with a Monday night victory over the Boston Celtics. What was fitting though is that in addition to missing Rajon Rondo, who’s out for the season, the Celtics were also missing Kevin Garnett due to the flu. All season long, potential contenders have found themselves scrambling to fill holes in their lineups as the Heat, anchored by their superhuman superstar, have remained remarkably healthy during the season.
James, who may have already cemented his fourth regular-season MVP award this year, is a beacon of health. The world’s top player has started every game of the season and is averaging more than 38 minutes per game. Co-superstars Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade aren’t the iron men that James has become, but both have been healthy most of the season and have only missed seven games between them.
Compare that to their Eastern Conference challengers and it’s easy to see why the Heat are head and shoulders above everyone else. The Bulls have been without Derrick Rose all season long and have faced an extended absence of Kirk Hinrich. The Knicks have watched Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton, Amare Stoudamire, Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert all take turns on the injury carousel. The Pacers have been forced to go through most of the season without Danny Granger. Brooklyn’s bench has hosted Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries for a fair share of time.
That’s not to say that the Heat aren’t simply better than everybody else in the East, they are. However, the lack of injuries have helped them avoid the awkwardness that often accompanies teams bringing back a major contributor after sitting in street clothes for several weeks or months. Their health has allowed them to continue building chemistry and it shows on the court.
Twenty-three games into the streak and the Heat are having a blast. The pressure of reaching the Lakers’ all-time mark of 33 games would get to some teams, but not the champs. James has matured from the angry, scowling player that lost to the Mavericks in 2010 to the good-natured, smiling, pre-game dunking, last-shot taking, half-court-alley-oop-finishing best player in the game today. As long as he stays healthy, the Heat have a chance at the all-time mark. Looking ahead at their schedule, the team’s marvelous run may hinge on the health of the a potential spoilers. After a week of playing wimps, the Heat will be forced to match up with the Bulls, Spurs and Knicks in a tough four-game stretch. Each of those teams are currently banged up. Heat fans are hoping they don’t bandage up their bad luck squads anytime soon.
