Winderman’s view: Until there is a quality Heat win, doubts are justified, as Knicks showed

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 116-107 loss to the New York Knicks:

– The NBA schedule can tease.

– Including the victories over the Hornets and Pistons that delivered the Heat to Wednesday night’s game at 2-1.

– Then came the challenge of something real, in the Knicks.

– Just like the challenge in the opener against the Magic.

– Loss.

– Loss.

– Yes, a move above over .500 seems in the cards against the how-low-can-we-go tanking Wizards in Mexico City.

– But that hardly would be a statement.

– What follows, however, could be telling.

– Starting with the next game at Kaseya Center, on Monday against the Kings.

– And then games on a six-game trip against the Suns, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Pacers twice.

– Those are the type of games where statements can be made.

– If the Heat are capable.

– Beat up on the bad teams and you wind up in the play-in, as the Heat have the past two seasons.

– Quality wins are the separator.

– With that search ongoing.

– The Heat remained for the fourth time in as many games with an opening lineup of Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier.

– Out for the Heat were Josh Richardson (calf strain), Kevin Love (personal reasons) and Josh Christopher (G League).

– In addition, to save days against his two-way contract, Keshad Johnson was inactive.

– That left the Heat with 13 available players.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. continued as Heat sixth man.

– With Thomas Bryant following.

– And then Dru Smith as eighth man.

– With Duncan Robinson rounding out the prime nine-man rotation.

– Herro converted a 3-pointer for the 43rd consecutive game. His longest career streak is 53 consecutive such games.

– Herro scored in double figures for the 34th consecutive game, five games shy of the longest such streak of his career.

– Robinson’s third point was the 4,000th of his career.

– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked pregame about the limited action of draft picks Kel’el Ware and Pelle Larsson.

– “They’re making progress,” Spoelstra said of the team’s development program. “That’s what we’ve told them, that we’re going to commit every single day to their improvement.”

–  Spoelstra added, “The number-one commitment to them is development, fast track their development, get them comfortable in our system, but improve every single day.”

– Spoelstra pointed out the need for Ware and Larsson to be ready, noting the playing-time uncertainty that Haywood Highsmith and Alec Burks have been dealing with.

– “They’re committed to that process, understanding the big picture,” he said of Ware and Larsson. “But that big picture also could be at any time they could be thrown into a game.”

– Of the challenge of facing Karl-Anthony Towns, Spoelstra said, “Look, every night there’s going to be someone different.”

– He added, “That’s what this league is. You’ve got to step up to the challenge every night.”

– As for New York fans filling Kaseya Center when the Knicks visit, Spoelstra said, “It goes both ways. If you’re playing great at any place, you can have the winds behind your sails.”

– Spoelstra added, “We just want to make sure that we turn this into a place where people don’t want to play.”

– Former Heat guard Sherman Douglas was among those in the crowd.