MIAMI _ The contrasts were stark on closing night, the team that refused to cave and the team that capitulated.
It was an episode that left the Miami Heat numb, their climb from 11-30 at midseason ending at 41-41 but without playoffs. And one that left the Brooklyn Nets indifferent, holding out their mainstays in the loss to the Chicago Bulls that allowed the Bulls to secure the final playoff berth in the NBA Eastern Conference by virtue of the season series tiebreaker against the Heat, with both teams closing at .500.
There were no allusions from the Nets. They held out mainstays Brook Lopez, Jeremy Lin and Trevor Booker because they could, because the game was meaningless, even with Brooklyn having no lottery stake, their 2017 first-round pick due to the Boston Celtics without restriction.
"As a competitor, I understand it," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told media in Chicago. "I understand the point of view that some of the press have, and maybe other teams. I do understand it.
"But we have to look at it from the Nets franchise and what's best for us. And that's how we're looking at it, in a vacuum. That's my responsibility as a coach to look at it in that vein. That being said, I do understand it."
The Nets were routed 112-73 at the United Center, with a starting lineup featuring the likes of Caris LeVert, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Spencer Dinwiddie, NBA journeyman Randy Foye and former Heat second-round prospect Justin Hamilton.
The Nets' approach kept Lopez from attempting to keep his brother, Bulls center Robin Lopez, out of the playoffs.
"I completely understand they could be upset by it," Brook Lopez told the New York Post "I'm disappointed ... I wanted to be out there."
Lin said if not for the Nets' victory Saturday over the Bulls at Barclays Center, there would not have even been discussion about Brooklyn's closing-night approach.
"Not to say they don't have a right to be upset," he said of Heat supporters. "I can definitely understand that. But we had just played Chicago and beat them last week. That had to help them. So, you could look at it from so many different angles."
Atkinson said the next six months meant more for his team than the 48 minutes Wednesday.
"We want to go into this huge offseason healthy," he said.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he had his players turn off their phones and made a point of not glancing at outside scores Wednesday, with the Heat needing not only the victory they secured over the visiting Washington Wizards but also a loss by either the Bulls or Indiana Pacers. Guard Goran Dragic said the Heat then watched the conclusion of the Pacers' victory over the Atlanta Hawks that sealed the Heat's season-ending fate.
For his part, Atkinson sold the company line to the conclusion.
"Listen," he said, "guys want to play 82 games, let's face it. But our guys, after talking to them, they completely understood it. They understand how important going into the offseason healthy is for us. You look at some of our players, they haven't had healthy offseasons in the past. We need this group to be healthy, to be able to work, and we have a lot of room, obviously, for improvement. So it's important to us."
