Ira Winderman: Heat Again At Crossroads Of Contention Or Survival, Of Playoffs Or Play-in

MIAMI — The respect is that of a championship contender. The place in the standings is that of a survivalist. For the Miami Heat, the dichotomy lives on, once again viewed as something more than the standings indicate amid this scramble to avoid the play-in round. No sooner, for example, did the Heat complete one of their most impressive victories of the season this past Monday at Golden 1 Center, then Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox paused to pay homage to the Heat’s perseverance. “It’s like a running joke,” Fox said.