Q: This was ridiculous, considering this team still had something to play for. This team needs players who aren’t looking to be babysat. – Paolo.

A: And I agree that it was surprising the Heat sat out so many regulars when there remained a (longshot) chance to move up in the seedings. But I’m sure Erik Spoelstra and his staff also appreciated that the odds were overwhelmingly in favor of the Nets holding on to No. 6. And that, in fact, is how it played out, with Brooklyn defeating Orlando, therefore making the Heat result moot. So look at it the other way: Can you imagine the outrage if, four nights before a win-and-in play-in game on Tuesday night, a key member of the rotation was lost to injury in a relatively insignificant game? That’s the difference with the play-in round, that there is not a weeklong buffer to protect against a late-season injury.

Q: Something’s got to change. The end of the NBA regular season is a joke. – Kevin.

A: I would say it’s the ultimate caveat emptor when it comes to buying tickets for such final-week games. The problem is that season-ticket holders have no choice in the matter. But the NBA is not alone in the issue. And as long as drafts are weighted toward losing records (lottery or otherwise), this is what you wind up with. Still, there is something questionable about G League basketball at NBA prices. Perhaps the compromise should be dollar-beer nights for such games. That certainly would have the crowd engaged.

Q: The lack of respect for Omer Yurtseven is absurd. Even when the Heat are kicking the game to the curb, he doesn’t start? – Peter.

A: Ultimate respect isn’t about a largely meaningless late-season road game. It’s whether the Heat decide by their late-June deadline whether to issue Omer Yurtseven a $2.2 million guaranteed qualifying offer for next season in restricted free agency. As it is, it could well be that these games are the Heat’s way of getting a read on whether to bring Cody Zeller back, with he, too, an impending free agent.

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