How Heat has managed during one of busiest stretches of season. And a COVID vaccine update

With about a month remaining until the start of the NBA playoffs, teams around the league are just trying to get through their busy and condensed pandemic-altered schedules.

“This has been, I think, a season where you’re presented with a lot of opportunities to be challenged and stretch yourself and grow in different ways than in normal seasons,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in advance of Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. “I think this has been a really good experience for our locker room this year. We’re not where we want to be. But the thing that I always commend about this group is every day the group is committed to finding solutions and hopefully get better.”

That has been the Heat’s approach during a challenging and relentless stretch that includes eight games in 12 days. Friday’s contest in Atlanta is the seventh game during that span, as this run of games will end with Saturday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena on the second night of a back-to-back.

This nearly completed eight-game stretch for the Heat includes three back-to-back sets.

“Everybody is going through it at some point,” Spoelstra said. “There is just no way around it. I think that is why we want to be really smart and proactive about all of this, just to make sure we don’t have guys with these kind of injuries that are taking steps back because of the volume of games.”

That has meant moving forward prudently even as it battles for playoff positioning, with the Heat erring on the side of caution during this busy segment of its schedule when it comes to lingering and/or minor injuries.

Just during this grueling eight-game stretch that ends Saturday, Miami has sat Bam Adebayo for one game because of right knee soreness, Jimmy Butler for two games because of a right ankle sprain, Goran Dragic for one game because of lower back spasms and right knee injury recovery, Tyler Herro for one game because of right foot soreness, Andre Iguodala for two games because of left hip soreness and Victor Oladipo has not played at all because of right knee soreness.

On Friday against the Hawks, Oladipo was the only Heat player unavailable. He missed his eighth game in a row.

As a byproduct of the schedule, the Heat’s last formal practice came two weeks ago on April 10 in Portland.

The good news for Miami is the pace of games will soon slow ... a little. Once this hectic eight-game stretch in 12 days ends Saturday, the Heat is scheduled to play its remaining 11 regular-season games in a span of 21 days.

HEAT VACCINE UPDATE

The NBA told teams last month that some of the league’s health and safety protocols will be loosened for those that have 85 percent of players and staff fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (any person who is two weeks past their final dose).

The Heat is on track to meet that threshold for COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the coming weeks.

Among the benefits for teams that reach the 85 percent vaccination mark are masks won’t be required at the practice facility, the freedom to dine indoors or outdoors at restaurants, the ability to hold in-person team meetings in locations other than the basketball court or in hotel ballrooms, PCR tests can be taken before 5 p.m., and more flexibility to leave the team hotel on the road.

For individuals who are fully vaccinated, they are no longer required to quarantine following exposure to COVID-19. Such individuals are also allowed to have friends, family and other guests visit them at home or on the road without testing or registering with the team, are no longer required to have daily point-of-care testing and can go without testing on off days.

The Heat has not disclosed which players have received the vaccine. But guard Kendrick Nunn, who was diagnosed and recovered from COVID-19 last summer, did announce on social media earlier this month that he received his second and final Pfizer vaccine shot.

HEAT VACCINE EVENT

The Heat will host a COVID-19 community vaccination event at AmericanAirlines Arena for Florida residents 16 and older on Thursday. At the event, 400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be prepared to be administered on the main arena floor.

Those interested in participating must schedule an appointment by calling 1-833-886-0023 and selecting Option 4 – “All Other Locations” and specify the “The Miami Heat Event” before 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Florida residents under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their legal guardian.

A second event will take place on May 20 to administer the second dose, with details still to be determined.

More information about the identification and paperwork required to participate is available on HEAT.com/Vax.