Justise Winslow thinks our shirt is #Better

You’ve seen the hashtag:

#JustiseBetter ….

Last month, it was time for Justise Winslow to see the t-shirt in person.

Last month, we noticed that Justise Winslow liked an Instagram post by @ejskolnick showing off the shirts that Miami Heat Beat had created in his honor. So it was time to show him the shirt, and print up some for his teammates — and fellow Kids — Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo.

Here was the reaction when Winslow got his:

This, of course, led to a hot streak by the Heat — four wins in five games.

Winslow didn’t make the trip to New York and Boston because he’s been dealing with a thigh bruise, but he did fulfill his promise Sunday.

He wore the shirt, and posted it as an Instagram story on @IAmJustise.

Oh yeah, and one other thing:

We will have those in our shop here shortly.

We #Better.

Waiters, Whiteside down Knicks at MSG

It was supposed to be Dwyane Wade’s night.

But to get the W, Miami needed more than they’ve gotten at times from Dion Waiters and Hassan Whiteside.

Waiters was the offensive star for the first three quarters, as the Heat struggled to defend the league-worse Knicks, and Whiteside carried Miami in the fourth after Erik Spoelstra chose to let him play down the stretch. Waiters finished with 28 points, and Whiteside had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

That kept the Miami right where they were, as Brooklyn, Detroit and Orlando all pulled mild upsets.

So the Heat are now 38-38, and the eighth seed, with six games left in Dwyane Wade’s regular season career. Wade had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Some were impressed enough by the win to make grand proclamations.

Here’s how Wade was honored at Madison Square Garden, the place where Danilo Gallinari shouldn’t have made him taste his own blood:

 

(Our Michael Sonbeek was on the scene and sent this video).

 

Pressure on Heat veterans tonight in NYC

This should be easy.

The Knicks are intentionally awful, worst in the East at 14-61, and arguably the worst franchise in the East over the past five years.

But, with the Heat missing Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Rodney McGruder — and having struggled against some of the NBA’s worst teams already — nothing can be taken for granted.

Simply, they need to get something of significance from three of the highest-paid veterans on the roster: Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters and James Johnson.

The good news is Waiters has been a little better of late, averaging 20.3 points in his past three games, with reasonable efficiency.

The Heat had a short morning shootaround in Manhattan and John Kozan of Miami Heat Beat was there to cover it (and take the photo above).

Tip is at 7:30 p.m.

Follow @5ReasonsSports and @MiaHeatBeat for more coverage.

JRich, Winslow out for Heat trip

The Miami Heat need just about every game from here out…. and would seem to need every key player.

They won’t have two of the Kids for the next two games, however.

Neither Josh Richardson (heel) nor Justise Winslow (thigh) traveled to New York for the opening contest of a short trip that finishes in Boston.

That means Goran Dragic will continue to start at point guard, with Derrick Jones Jr. also likely taking a spot in the lineup. It also means that the Heat will rely heavily on Dwyane Wade and Dion Waiters to provide offense.

That should be enough against New York.

Against the Celtics, who are trying to grab a homecourt seed in the East?

We’ll see.

Marlins Drop Opening Day To The Rockies 6-3

The new-look Miami Marlins went down to the Colorado Rockies 6-3 at new-look Marlins Park on Opening Day. Jose Ureña was chased out in the 5th inning after Trevor Story jacked a solo home run over the Clevelander.

The fans on the new standing room only porch where the home run sculpture used to be (RIP) still seemed to have a nice time.

Five Reasons photographer Tony Capobianco captured a great picture of Garrett Cooper’s outfield assist early in the game.

Goran, Luka and the Slovenians that Didn’t Stop

Goran Dragic played his best game of the season Thursday, filling in as a starter for Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson and recording a triple-double in a needed win for the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks.

But neither he, nor certain Rookie of the Year forward Luka Doncic on the other squad, were the Slovenian stars of the occasion.

No, those were the fans, who gathered at Bayside, started chanting from all sides of AmericanAirlines Arena prior to tipoff, and never stopped. Not even when the game did.

This was the scene 20 minutes after the final buzzer:

And eventually, after showering and speaking to the media, Dragic came out of the locker room to lead more chants.

Hey, can they stick around for the rest of the Heat’s playoff chase?