MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — It’s always good to try and find the positives in any situation.
If there was any reason for solace in the Miami Heat locker room after the final game of the season in Philadelphia, it was this: They knew they lost to a better team.
The Heat were good. They weren’t great.
Hence, the challenge of the offseason is clear: The Heat have to not only find ways to improve, but will have to find some creative ways to make it happen. They don’t have a pile of salary-cap space to play with, they don’t have any picks in this year’s draft and they know that fellow Eastern Conference clubs like the 76ers — who needed five games to oust Miami from the playoffs — might only get better.