Spoelstra says playoff race not about waiting, watching (as his players sneak a peek)

For the Miami Heat, Friday night essentially was a doubleheader. First there was the escape against the Sacramento Kings, then essentially a team viewing party for the final minutes of the Boston Celtics' victory over the Golden State Warrior
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While the focus for most of the nation was on the Warriors' push for the NBA's best single-season record, the concentration in the Heat locker room was on the Celtics and the too-close-to-call race in the middle of the Eastern  Conference playoff pack.

"We've said this all along that it's going to be a harrowing ride down the stretch, to the end," coach Erik Spoelstra said, as he turned his attention to Saturday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. "All of us are in virtually in the same spot for a reason.

"It's very competitive, not much margin of error for any team. But you can get caught watching what other teams are doing. But ultimately, it's in our hands."

That doesn't mean there wasn't a tangle disappointment in the Heat locker room Friday when the Warriors' Stephen Curry was off on a potential game-tying 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.

"We focus on our game," forward Luol Deng said, "but after the game we look at how the other teams did."

After remaining in Portland on Saturday night and then a Sunday flight back to South Florida, the Heat will have six remaining games, three at home (Detroit, Chicago, Orlando) and three on the road (Orlando, Detroit, Boston). All but the Magic remain in the thick of the playoff race. The regular season ends April 13. The playoffs open April 16.

"You can't wait for somebody else to not do it and benefit from that," Spoelstra said of the dangers of getting caught up in moments like Friday's Celtics-Warriors drama. "We want to drive this thing."

Deng's shot

When it comes to the season's biggest shots, Deng came up with a key contribution when he drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Heat up 110-104 with 45.7 seconds to play Friday.

The fact that it came in front of the Kings' bench, with Sacramento players doing their best to distract, made it all the more rewarding.

"I think when they make noise, you want to make it so bad," Deng said, with former Heat forward Caron Butler among those attempting to distract Deng. "If they were quiet, I've missed a lot of wide-open shots when it's quiet. By them  yelling, I wanted to make it really bad. So it just locked in."

Spoelstra said Deng's leadership was instrumental, with none of the Heat's tri-captains playing in Sacramento, with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh sidelined and Udonis Haslem not in Friday's rotation.

"Especially during the times of stress, it was his voice, getting guys organized," Spoelstra said. "And he's continued to make big shots, big plays for us."