ASK IRA: Is year-to-year increase in Heat win total a tangible sign of growth?
Q: I have this to say about the Miami Heat. They have really not slid backwards. If they win just two more of their final four games they will have a 43-win season, which is six games better than last year.
So, to me, that’s improvement, especially with two of their young players really stepping up this year, in Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pelle Larsson. – Roland, Borrego Springs, Calif.
A: And in a normal season, your reasoning would be logical and cogent. But this was not a normal season, with five teams in the East ultimately playing for lottery balls and with four the West ultimately doing the same. So that pumped up records in the middle of the East, essentially to the degree you mention.
Yes, wins matter. And, yes, a winning season matters. But all you needed to do was listen to the returning players to know that this season was all about finishing ahead of the play-in .
. . or bust.