I was playing basketball with some friends the other night, and I made four 3-point shots in a row. I scored the game’s final shot from beyond unrealistic Jimmer regions, and I finally understood what he was thinking all those years (“wow . . . I’m glad that went in”).
The horse was so high and near impossible from which to come down. I went home, turned on “SportsCenter,” watched Blake Griffin throw down an angry dunk and thought, “Hmmm . . . I could do that.” I’m sure I had done it at one point or another; I can’t really remember. Too many dunks to choose from.
It is amazing how confident we can become after we do something so insignificant (but not really), like scoring four straight 3-pointers. I kid you not, it’s five days later and I am still running that proud moment through my mind. So when I look around and see a certain professional team on a certain 25-game winning streak . . . it reminds me where my place is.
As of Friday night, the Miami Heat had won 25 straight basketball games. They carry the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, and any signs of this streak’s end are hard to come by. As if the title of defending NBA champions weren’t intimidating enough, they added a little bit more to their stock.
The last time the Heat failed to win a match was on Feb. 1 against the Indiana Pacers. They are coming up on two months without a loss, and their upcoming schedule is in their favor. The only likely challenge the team will receive for the rest of this month will come in Texas against the San Antonio Spurs on March 31.
The whole idea of playing good or bad teams is interesting in a situation like this, however. The Miami Heat have a 25-game target on their backs, and every team wants a shot. Records don’t seem to matter when a winning streak is on the line. Any team with a bottomless record can find a way to pull out a never-before-seen energy to shoot down a team flying high.
This point may be what makes Miami’s winning streak so special. It’s reached a point where every team is giving all they have to dethrone the Heat — and, thus far, to no avail.
Even more amazing may be the holes that the Heat have crawled out of. For example, the Heat traveled to Ohio a few days ago to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in hopes of winning their 24th-straight game. Miami scrambled back to after being down 67-40 in the third quarter and conquering a 27-point deficit.
As much as I wish to ignore it, I can’t. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are leading their team through some tremendous basketball, and have done so 25 straight games and counting. Although this team has been built (and bought) to win, a 25-game winning streak or more has only been done once before. The Los Angeles Lakers hold the record with 33 straight wins — a feat accomplished approximately 40 years ago. Should the Heat make it that far, the record would be tied on April 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers. A new record would be captured on April 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Will the record be broken? Only time will tell!
