Miami Heat Head Into NBA All-Star Break Playing With "Dog Mentality"

The Miami Heat have won six of the last eight, including a two-game winning streak at the NBA All-Star break

The Miami Heat have proven over the years they have no problem dealing with adversity. 

Their latest bout came this week when they had to play the final two games before the NBA All-Star break without Terry Rozier, Jimmy Butler and Josh Richardson because of injuries and personal matters. 

Down three rotation players, the Heat still won games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers to enter the break with much-needed momentum. 

"That's that dog mentality that we have," center Bam Adebayo said. "Keep fighting to the end. That's what it took, all 48 minutes."

Adebayo was one of the key catalysts. He recorded a triple-double in the victory against the Bucks before having 23 points and 14 rebounds in the win over the 76ers. 

"That's winning basketball with three rotation guys out," Spoelstra said. "It's not about the numbers. It's about securing the win and doing things on both ends of the court, which they did."

The Heat now have time to rest and celebrate Adebayo making his second straight All-Star appearance this weekend in Indianapolis. Rookie Jaime Jaquez is participating in the Rising Stars Challenge and the slam dunk contest. 

The Heat are off until Feb. 23 when they play at the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Miami Heat Riding Momentum Into All-Star Break After Win Over Philadelphia 76ers

 Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com