2. Winning Basketball
The Heat surprised basketball fans this season, going 41-24 and claiming the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference through the first 65 games. Miami trails the Boston Celtics by 2.5 games for the third seed.
The Heat have several impressive wins on their schedule, including a 105-89 thumping against the Milwaukee Bucks in March and a 137-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in February. The Heat are 2-0 against the Bucks this season and 3-1 against the 76ers. Both teams feature All-NBA caliber players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.
Miami stacks up well against the rest of the Eastern Conference. The team is 2-0 against the second seed Toronto Raptors and fifth seed Indiana Pacers. Adebayo deserves a lot of credit for the team’s success against stiff competition. He’s often drawing tough assignments inside and still finding ways to uplift the Heat.
Other MIP candidates play for winning teams as well. Pascal Siakam is vital to the 46-18 Raptors. Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum all have their teams at 40 or more wins as well. The Heat face all of those players, except for Dončić, when the regular season resumes in Florida.
A strong end to the season could separate Bam Adebayo and the Heat from their competition.
