And it might. Someday.

Right now, it isn’t. With the playoffs a little more than a month away, time is running out.

So maybe it was fitting that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had his back to the wall of Miami’s practice court Monday when trying his best to clear up “Crygate.” Here was his clarification: He saw glossy eyes, but heard no whimpering.

Ultimately, little of that matters. A day after Spoelstra said there was “a couple guys crying in the locker room” in the moments that followed Sunday’s 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls – the latest entry in a growing list of last-second chances gone awry – whether tears were falling or not is irrelevant.

Shots aren’t falling.

That’s the bigger issue for the Heat, who have lost four straight and are early in their toughest stretch of the season. Portland, hardly a slouch from the suddenly surging Western Conference, visits on Tuesday. Kobe Bryant and the two-time defending champion Lakers, who just happened to roll a San Antonio team that embarrassed the Heat last week, stop by Thursday. The Spurs visit next Monday.

Even with that, the Heat confidence remains.

“We’re a team that no one wants to see in the first round,” Wade said. “We lose every game from here on out, somebody’s got to see us in the first round. And the Miami Heat isn’t really a team you want to see in the first round.

“We’re fine.”

That’s debatable.

Despite the “Big Three” averaging a combined 69.9 points, 22.4 rebounds and 13.3 assists, the Heat have clear issues, including consistency at point guard and center along with the bench. In the public eye, every loss seems almost cataclysmic. There’s often speculation over Spoelstra’s security with the Heat, especially with a Hall of Famer in Pat Riley still looming over the franchise.