Yes, the franchise—miraculously—has a 20-19 record with two games left before the season's halfway point. However, the team's on-court performance has been overshadowed by the tug-of-war between Heat forward Jimmy Butler and club brass—culminating in a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team on Jan. 3.

Perhaps little says as much about the convoluted current relationship between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat as this: The team has reached the end game of its seven-game unpaid suspension of the former All-Star forward with the situation nonetheless ongoing.