Miami Heat Turn Attention To Second Half Of The Season

Heat prepping for the final stretch after NBA All-Star Weekend

The Miami Heat can finally start thinking about the rest of the season. 

After completing the NBA All-Star break in Cleveland Sunday, it's back to focusing on the main goal: winning a championship. 

The Heat will likely return to practice Tuesday in preparation of Friday's game at the New York Knicks. They begin the remainder of the season holding the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. 

"When we get back to it, we'll buckle down and get serious about this stretch run," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who coached Team Durant in the All-Star Game. "We know how competitive it is."

Even though the rest of the conference is looking up at the Heat, they realize they have competition. The Chicago Bulls, defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are all contenders. The Brooklyn Nets also improved after adding former Heat guard Goran Dragic to join Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons. 

"We have a bunch of hard-competitive guys in our locker room," Spoelstra said. "They thrive and want these kind of situations and compelling matchups but we'll get there at the end of the when get (back)."

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