In the end, the Heat couldn't take it.
LeBron James and his Miami teammates saw their win streak end at 27 games when they got gored in Chicago on Wednesday night — losing to the Bulls by a score of 101-97.
So the Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game run, set during the 1971-72 season, still stands as the NBA record.
As The Miami Herald points out, the Bulls were without "center Joakim Noah and guards Marco Belinelli and Richard Hamilton — not to mention [star guard] Derrick Rose" and still managed to win. Miami superstar LeBron James scored 32 points in the losing effort, but the Bulls limited his other contributions — James had just three assists.
So how impressive was the Heat's streak? Sports Illustrated's Michael Rosenberg writes that we should "forget the comparisons to the 1971-72 Lakers for a moment. The NBA has changed so much that it's almost like comparing different sports. No, to understand how incredible the Heat streak was, consider this: When the Heat lost, I turned on my computer and checked the NBA standings. Only one team — ONE! — had a winning streak longer than three games. (That was the Knicks, at six.)"
On Wednesday, we asked soccer fans for help in figuring out the importance the U.S.-Mexico 0-0 tie. Now, can hoops fans weigh in on the merit's of the Heat's streak?
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDEwMTk5OTQ0MDEzNDkxMDYyMDQ2MjdiMw004))
