ASK IRA: Have the Heat proven they’re real and spectacular?

Q: Ira, they’re real and they’re spectacular. I never thought the Heat with this roster would be this good and this much fun. Wow. – Jerry.

A: I find it hard to believe this entry being signed “Jerry,” but I’ll leave the Seinfeld reference in place, because when you are 21 games in and 14-7, it has to be real, and Monday night, at least in the first half, it was spectacular when it came to the Heat’s 3-point shooting. Rarely over the years, save perhaps for Dwyane Wade’s breakout and then the Big Three era, have the Heat both been winning big and winning with such style. So, yes, real and spectacular, whether from the lips of Teri Hatcher or the Heat coaching staff and roster.

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Q: With the Heat playing in Orlando in the first round of the NBA Cup, it will be the third regular-season road game for the Heat versus the Magic. Consequently, the Heat will play the Magic five times this regular season, two at home and three on the road. Has there been any discussion about moving Friday’s game to Miami and swapping one of the later games with another Eastern Conference team that the Heat only play three times? – Norm, Palm Harbor.

A: No. It’s all part of the complex formula for the NBA Cup, with teams aware of the chances of unbalanced scheduling and potentially only having 40 home games instead of the standard 41. Typically, teams that advance to the Cup’s knockout round wind up with a harder schedule, with at least four of the eight teams losing a home game, plus all eight facing higher-tier competition with the two games added to their schedules. Such is the tradeoff the teams made with the league for the revenue generated by the Cup.

Q: Do you think it would make sense to send Nikola Jovic to Sioux Falls to get more playing time? He did not go to college and never has played in a situation where he was more of a focus for the offense. – Bob, Juno Beach.

A: Only if there is an underlying injury. Stats collected in the G League will not steel Nikola Jovic mentally for the challenges of the NBA. What he needs is to remain ready and seize any opportunities that come his way, in practice, shootarounds or games.