Winderman’s view: Question the Heat season, but don’t question this Heat effort

Q: What was the final score of the Miami Heat vs. Charlotte Hornets play-in game?

The final score was 127-126 in favor of the Charlotte Hornets.

Q: Did the Miami Heat lead at any point during the game against the Hornets?

Yes, the Miami Heat initially won the game before ultimately losing in overtime.

Q: What was significant about the Miami Heat's performance in the play-in game?

The Miami Heat's effort was highlighted as notable, despite the disappointing overtime loss.

Q: What does the loss mean for the Miami Heat's season?

The loss raises questions about the Heat's season and their performance in critical games.

CHARLOTTE – Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night’s 127-126 NBA play-in overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets:

– What the heck just happened?

– The Heat won.

– Then they lost.

– Then they won again.

– And then a loss as stinging as any in years, taking us back to Heat-Knicks heartbreak.

– Yes, there will be questions about the roster.

– The approach,

– The lineups.

– The rotations.

– But that is not what this is about.

– This is about fighting to the last breath.

– Which is the essence of sports.

– Even when fighting the good fight isn’t enough.

– So before breaking down a season, consider Tuesday night.

– That type of fight without Bam Adebayo.

– Pushing until time expired.

– Admire this moment.

– With plenty of time to ruminate on the 82 games that preceded this one.

– Because what the heck just happened?

– Unreal.

– And, yet, it’s almost as if this is how it had to be.

– As much as anything, the Heat’s regular season was defined by Tyler Herro and Norman Powell missing the equivalent of a full season with their injury absences.

– So this time, it was the power rotation at a deficit, with Adebayo lost early in the second period, after a LaMelo Ball-induced hard fall.

– With the lower-back pain courtesy of a Ball trip, a play that likely could have been ruled flagrant if witnessed by the officials in real time.

– To his credit, Kel’el Ware stepped up as much as could be expected.

– But without the anchor of their defense, it became all the more difficult.

– Almost all season in a power void.

– With Nikola Jovic again sidelined Tuesday night.

– And the team not electing to elevate 7-footer Vlad Goldin from his two-way contract or to utilize Terry Rozier’s roster spot for an insurance big man.

– To be fair, this was more than about being a big man short.

– More than having Andrew Wiggins at center at the end of the first half.

– And forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. starting the second half in place of Adebayo.

– This was a 10th-place team playing like a 10th-place team for too many stretches this season and on this night..

– And so even on a night when Ware stood tall, not tall enough.

– Earlier, it turned out Erik Spoelstra closing the regular season with a big lineup was more than a tease.

– That had the Heat opening with the unit of Ware, Adebayo, Wiggins, Herro and Davion Mitchell.

– And Powell again off the bench.

– The Hornets opened a lineup of Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball, Moussa Diabaté, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.

– Jaquez was first off the Heat bench.

– Followed by Powell and Pelle Larsson entering together.

– With Sinone Fontecchio making it nine deep.

– Leaving Kasparas Jakucionis out of the mix.

– Spoelstra was confident going in, “I think we have the kind of guys that rally around this kind of challenge.”

– Spoelstra also said pregame, “Everything that’s happened for us to get here is totally irrelevant. Right now it’s about embracing this.”

– And then Adebayo went down.

– The all-or-nothing meaning of the moment was very much on the players’ minds going in.

– “We’ve got a will to win,” Adebayo said at the morning shootaround. “We’re trying to punch our ticket, nobody wants to go home early.”

– Adebayo after that shootaround said it was all about resilience.

– “We can always bounce back,” he said. “The thing is we’ve had success, we’ve also had failure, so it’s been an up-and-down lesson for us this year. All in all, we’ve shown we can bounce back.”

– And then there was no bounce, just Adebayo hobbling off for the night.

– During his pregame media session, Spoelstra said his vote for Rookie of the Year, if he had one, would go to Knueppel.

“He’s a rookie of the year in my mind,” he said. “He’s been super mature with this game as a 19-year-old. I’m amazed how mature players come into this league now as teenagers. I can’t even imagine that.”

– Hornets forward Miles Bridges entered this postseason with the most regular-season appearance (501) of a player yet to make the playoffs.

– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke of the moment going in.

– With ballots soon due from the media for the NBA’s annual award, Jaquez said he is leaving that matter in the hands of the voters when it comes to his chances for Sixth Man of the Year.

– “I’ve got 75 games under my belt,” he said. I’ve got a whole display of work to show for it. And that’s all I’ve got to say.”