Miami heating up at the right time

Something has been happening in Miami lately, and it hasn't just been the beaches and clubs during spring break. With wins in ten of its last 11 games, including seven straight, the Miami Heat is one of the hottest teams in the league. And the W's haven't all come against softies either: the Heat defeated the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets (albeit minus Jason Kidd), and Dallas Mavericks during the stretch.

Miami fans now see in the future something so unexpected and absurd that they have to take their sunglasses off and rub their eyes. Nope, it's not the ghost of Tim Hardaway; it's far more enticing and brings a lot more hope to the table. That's right, it's a playoff berth, the kind the Heat actually used to get when Timmy, Pat Riley, and Alonzo Mourning and his healthy kidneys were hanging around.

It won't be a number one seed like Miami used to get before being upset by the New York Knicks after the requisite brawls and whatnot. But it now seems increasingly certain that Miami could be a participant in the NBA postseason. The Heat is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference and only 1.5 games out of fourth place, meaning the squad could actually gain home court advantage (and with all those ugly yellow and red seats at its arena, it is an advantage) in the first round of the playoffs.

At the beginning of the season, Inside the NBA noted that the Heat could possibly make the playoffs if Lamar Odom wasn't busted for pot. Miraculously, not only has Odom avoided run-ins with the guys in blue, but he has played out of his mind at times. Against Sacramento he poured in 30 points, clamped down on 19 boards, and whizzed out 11 assists; against Dallas he had 26 points and 18 rebounds.

It has been a season in which a lot of new free agents have helped turned their teams in the right direction. James Posey is leading the way for the Memphis Grizzlies, and Sam Cassell, Jim Jackson, and Brad Miller are helping successful teams get even better in Minnesota, Sacramento, and Houston, respectively. (And in Dallas and Philadelphia, Antoine Walker and Glenn Robinson are taking their teams in the opposite direction, of course.) But out of all the free agents, Odom was the biggest gamble, and maybe also the biggest steal.

Of course, we also didn't know that Dwayne Wade was going to be so good. Aside from Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, Wade has been the best rookie in the league, putting aside the fact that he has sprained his ankle more than every other player in the NBA combined. That's the way it has seemed at least: every game, he either gives the Heat 17 points and five assists, or he sits out with a sprained ankle.

Wade and Odom have given veteran guard Eddie Jones the offensive support he has needed (all three average between 16.7 and 17.7 ppg) and they have even gotten serviceable play from Rafer Alston, who hit the game winning three pointer against Dallas, despite the fact that he should be playing in the And1 streetball tour instead of the NBA.

The Heat broke 80 points just twice during the first seven games of the season; in their recent winning streak, they have topped the century mark in eight of 11 games.

Of course, the Heat's frontline sucks. Anytime you have Brian Grant, Udonis Haslem, and Malik Allen patrolling the paint, that's not good. But the Heat play in the east, so no one other than the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons are really around to take advantage of the Heat's weak front court.

Also, the season has been a big disappointment for Caron Butler, whose sophomore season has been far short of expectations. Butler has played in only 58 games thus far, barely shooting 37 percent from the field, and his numbers are drastically worse that last year's in almost every single statistical category. However, Butler has looked more aggressive as of late.

The Heat deserve a lot of credit for putting themselves in position for the playoffs rather than the lottery.

Of course, they also owe thanks to some other teams, particularly, the Boston Celtics, 76ers, and fellow Florida bosom buddy, the Orlando Magic. All three were expected to be major playoff players, and all have floundered.

Orlando was done early, and while Philadelphia and Boston both still have good shots to make the playoffs, both are heading in the opposite direction of the Heat. This is thanks to Danny Ainge, who is trying to play Oz. Expect the curtain to be ripped away sometime within the next two years, and it will become apparent that Ainge basically has no idea what he's doing.