The Miami Heat’s chances of avoiding the NBA Play-In Tournament took a major hit as they lost on the road to the Indiana Pacers, 117-115, on Sunday.
Indiana’s victory – which won them the season series over Miami 2-1 – paired with Philadelphia’s double overtime victory in San Antonio without Joel Embiid, dropped the Heat to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Pacers improved to 45-34, while Miami fell to 43-35.
Miami faced a big deficit early thanks in large part to another putrid offensive display, making just one of their first 15 attempts from deep. The Heat rallied and cut the lead to one in the latter stages of the final period, but Indiana kept converting big plays to keep the road team at bay.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 27 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, while Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points and 12 boards. In his second game back, Tyler Herro scored 21 off the bench. Terry Rozier played only 22 minutes as he was bothered by a neck injury.
Myles Turner had 22 points and 13 boards to spearhead Indiana while TJ McConnell had another great game with 22 points in 11-of-14 shooting.
“It was the typical our way when we’re not guarding when shots don’t go in. It’s great to say we fought back… but we still lost, so none of that matters.”
“If we end up in the play in, we end up in the play in… we’ve never made it easy, why make it easy now?”
– Jimmy pic.twitter.com/WreDXjNYbt
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) April 8, 2024
“That can’t happen. We gotta come out with sense of urgency more, more effort on the defensive end.”
“We made a lot of minor mistakes that cost us.”
“We just focus on us, one game at a time.”
– Bam pic.twitter.com/ynMD9yZU1R
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) April 8, 2024
“The discipline is to rally around each other & focus on the task at hand. This game is beyond us. We’ll go through our after-action review & quick teaching points on this… we gotta get ready for Atlanta & make sure we’re our best version for that game.” pic.twitter.com/hRWpI1Az4I
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) April 8, 2024
The Heat are back in action on Tuesday when they go on the road to take on the Atlanta Hawks.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39902784/nba-acknowledges-pair-missed-calls-final-minute-miami-costly-loss-indiana
It happens. Sucks Heat on the receiving end of those bad call/non-call.
Smh ikr 🤦
So nba admitted that missed 2 calls at the end of the game against the pacers. They missed 1 call when herro was shooting a 3 with 55 secs left, he got fouled by the tj. Then they messed up another call against bam with 17 seconds left, which resulted in turner shooting 2 free-throws smh. These refs out here messing up games with playoff implications and not even getting in fined or in trouble smh 🤦.
2 calls at end of game and about 20 during game.it goes both ways big sometimes u get calls sometimes u dont it pretty much evens out though.blown ref calls not reason they lost,lots of other reasons why we lost before blaming refs.
This coming from the guy who went absolutely insane on the lane violation call.
to decide a game on that is not right it was not that agregious rc.that was a bad call.how bout dunc make a shot,hh take a shot.jjj make a shot.caleb be more under control.bam try to score in the 4th,
“heat for life
1 day ago
lane violation u cant call that f u refs .they would have gotten the rebound anyway”
You seemed a bit more upset about that at the time than you are now. And the ones we are referencing are ones acknowledged by the league that happened at the most critical moments. They were definitely egregious errors. But it doesn’t matter now. Just have to suck it up and move on.
there not good enough rc calls no calls .haliburton suked and we still lost.tj mcconell could not be stopped lol.indiana aint that good
I’m with you. These calls that the league has acknowledged, were not in an inconsequential first or second quarter. They came in the last minute of a game with the game, 6th seed, and possibly the season in the balance. We weren’t behind 10 points – we were behind 2! If Turner doesn’t get those free throws and Herro makes his, we’re in 6th today. Can’t do anything about it now, but it is unacceptable.
.the heat are just not that good.is what it comes down to jim is no longer a ss.hes our best player but no longer a ss.u never know in the second season who elevates their game.we saw caleb do it vs boston.maybe ty or bam can be better in the second season.hopefully jjj discovers his game.duncs back feels better and can bury some 3s.it has to be a collective effort cause father time got jim
I never considered Butler a superstar at the level of a LeBron, Durant, Jokic, Steph, though he did reach that level at times in the playoffs (certainly not in last season’s finals).
As far as the Heat, I never give up hope while we still have a mathematical chance and when the season ends, I am in anticipation of how and with whom they can get to improve.
in the playoffs he plays at a lebron type level.not no mo
What is the best Heat starting group and 8 man rotation for the play-in tournament?
Top Four Starters: Rozier, Herro, Butler, Bam
MPG, PPG and 3 PT averages for top four starters are as follows:
Butler: 34.1 MPG/21.1 PPG/40.1%
Herro: 33.3 MPG/20.7 PPG/39.8%
Adebayo: 34.2 MPG/19.6 PPG/34.3%
Rozier: 31.5 MPG/16.4 PPG/37.1%
MPG, PPG and 3 PT averages for six possible rotation players are as follows:
Robinson: 28 MPG/12.9 PPG/39.5%
Jaquez: 28.3 MPG/11.9 PPG/31.4%
Martin: 27.3 MPG/10.2 PPG/35.7%
Love: 17.2 MPG/ 8.9 PPG/33.9%
Jovic: 18.8 MPG/7.1 PPG/40.1%
Highsmith: 20.3 MPG/6.1 PPG/39.9%
Who would be the best 5th starter?
Which four players of six possible players listed should be in the 8 man rotation?
I will take a try. First, I am not sure Herro would start, but assuming your example, the 5th starter would have to be a taller player, so Bryant would be my choice and if we fell behind, I would bring Love In. If Herro didn’t start, I would have HH and Love as the starting five. In the rotation would be Martin, Bryant, and Herro. JJJ would be next up as a ninth man. Even though that is a highly unlikely lineup for Spo to pick, that is what I would do. As the playoffs go on, only the best players survive.
Herro and Love starting with Bryant, Duncan and Martin in 8-man rotation might work, with Jovic, Jaquez and Highsmith in reserve.
I like Jovic at pf. He played well last game. He is surprisingly quick on those coast to coast drives, with a good handle and a very good Euro step. His defense, while not great, has improved, and he’s a good passer who can see over the top of opponents. He can rebound too. Last 10 games he’s 10/4/2 shooting 46/37/92.
The issue is, defensively, that group would be shaky. If more defense is desired, start Highsmith or Martin.
Duncan needs to sit until this back issue is resolved. He’s played very poorly since returning.
Whatever line-up Spo goes with, he will have to pull the trigger quickly on anyone who is not performing. He will also need to balance defense and offense, depending on the opponent. Line-ups may vary if it is Philly, Indiana, Atlanta or Chicago in the play-in or Boston, Milwaukee, Orlando, Cleveland or New York in the first round.
if hh would just think of scoring every now and then which he has shown he has the capabilities of and with his lockdown d he is clearly our 5th best player with jovics all round game and size and his underrated d player #6.with calebs athleticism give him #7.and need kevins savvy and bulk.dunc and jjj with their play have earned them a nice seat on the bench
Play-in tournament or not, Heat still aren’t capable of winning a title
Escaping the play-in tournament wouldn’t have changed the fact that the Miami Heat aren’t good enough.
“Do you seriously think this team is capable of beating the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics who are 3-0 against the Heat this season?
The Heat’s offense has been better of late, but far from enough to keep pace with a Celtics team boasting Jayson Tatum (averaging 27 points), Jaylen Brown (23.2), Kristaps Porzingis (20.3) and Derrick White (15.4). As a result, Boston is No. 1 in offensive rating. The Heat are 21st. The Celtics also happen to have the only defense in the East with a better rating than Miami’s.”
https://allucanheat.com/posts/miami-heat-not-good-enough-nba-championship?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
If we’re gonna hit 38% of our threes, and Jimmy is gonna take and make that mid range shot, then we’re gonna be a really hard team to beat.
How far we go is going to come down to; will Jovic, Herro and Rozier replace the shooting productivity of Strus and GV (from the 2023 playoffs); can Jovic and Herro stay on the floor defensively like GV and Strus; can Martin be more consistent; will Rozier be enough to replace any dip on Jimmy’s productivity; will everyone stay healthy?
It’d be nice to have settled answers heading into the play-in and playoffs. But if the answers to those questions are more often yes they can, then yes this team can make a deep playoff run.
can we get dipo for brown.he embarassed brown
Well, play in it is, so there will be one or two additional games, which is not that bad.
Its clear, that this team is not on its best right now, but the reasons are unclear.
Bam and Butler are average, to say it nicely. Might be because the league and players evolved and those two stayed the same as last year, or are both just worse then last year, or the other teams learned how to defend them. Its really hard to say.
But one thing is clear. Heat wont go anywhere without scorching hot shooting from outside, which brings more points and open the rim.
Without Herro and Dunc at their best we are doomed in play off, if we get to that point.
Heat needs to sweep its remaining games to still have the chance, no matter how small, to get that 6th. A loss or two on teams above us is very much possible. We are still in contention until we aren’t then we could fully talk and criticize this season. Or celebrate in June 😁😜
criticism is part of sports talk .praise is also.the better the heat play the more praise.when they dont play good we criticize.we all want the heat to win of course
If we go out early I want to have a candid discussion about the Heat and the direction they have taken, discussing some difficult things, but hopefully with tact and decency. I do understand how and why we got to where we are, and it has been a wonderful ride. For now, let’s cheer this team on, hope for another miracle. Go Heat!
what time should i pick u up
I’d meet you at the Briteline Station, but it’s probably going to be undrivable there. Have to be really early.
i like your take on things 30 u keep it real.good and bad your points are solid 95% of the time.i give rc about 75%.big 85%.sunman 90%
I always try to be candid, win, lose, or draw. If a player does well or poorly, I note it whether it is a player I like or not. Same with a trade. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t, let’s question why.
However, differing opinions don’t necessarily mean one person is right while the other is wrong. And we need to be realistic. You have to look at league guidelines, salary cap, apron penalties. We can even cite specific issues like Lillard before the season. I’m in the camp that not making that trade was the right move, considering that onerous contract for an aging player.
Anyway, being a staunch Heat fan is like having a relative that you love but who really annoys you periodically. You’re basically stuck with them no matter what they do. But you still love them.
So true, stuck with them do or die. The Lillard trade seemed great, but now that it didn’t happen, and especially after observing Lillard this year, it was more I was looking for instant gratification and now I am glad the trade didn’t go through. I believe his contract would become an albatross, and he is changing like Jimmy, in fact maybe Dame is a little more past his prime. And it will surprise me if the Bucks make the championship round.
I’m real glad we didn’t sell the ranch for Bradley Beal. Dude making a $46.7M and scoring 17.6 ppg with no trade clause.
If they’re going to go all in, it needs to be for an excellent player in his prime or reaching it, not a player who was great, but now is past his prime on a massive contract. Mitchell, Edwards, Booker, Sabonis, Ingram, Jalen Williams, all are under 30. Of course not all will be available, but if they become available……
Tough loss. We battled back from a huge 1st quarter deficit but 22 points was just to much to overcome there at the end, needed a much better start.
It’s time to get Duncan out of the starting line-up and out of the rotation altogether.
He doesn’t look right, rest him until the last game of the season.
He’s playing like ass that hasn’t been washed in a week.
He’s stinking up the joint and it’s hurting the team.
We can’t afford to have bad starts against good teams with what’s at stake this late in the season.
Maybe a little more rest will help ease what’s ailing him.
Also it’s good Spo finally gave Niko some crunch mins, it’s about damn time.
Looks like it’s the play-in…again.
So fk it, lets do it…again.
Herro off the bench looks great! Hurt Dunc is breaking my little heart out there. Idc who between em starts or comes off the bench, but these two dudes at anything closer to their ideal conditions is gna be the difference between a snoozer of a post season or an electric one.
Overall good game to see the squad healthy and assembled. I don’t expect them to shoot as bad as they did in Q1 frequently. Was very happy with the defensive adjustments they made every quarter after that.
The Q4 run was important to me. Life-affirming in a way. We’ve seen this year’s heat slip into a coma the end of the game way too many times. The contrast to last year was too striking for me to build much confidence in our playoff prospects.
Last year we had too many clutch games, but were reliable to put up a good fight and win enough of them. This year we have been the uglier twin; battling for a lead going into Q4 and letting teams exercise their heroics.
I’m ending this on an optimistic note. We’re looking good with everybody healthy. The final few games are a chance to seal the functionality we’ve just gotten back into a playoff run rotation.
We have enough to win the chip. Let’s fucking GO HEAT!
if murray gets hurt its a possibility
no excuses heat are helthy minus jrich.got as good chance as anybody in east to beat boston.experience matters in real season.been there done that.come on heat lets all meet at bisc blvd in a few months
Keep hope alive.
I’m ok with whatever happens this season till the playoffs. As a lot have said, it is what it is. I might get disappointed (as i have already been in several losses), or I might get surprised still as we’ve all been last year. Go Heat!
Your takes and unfailing optimism are really pleasant. Got to keep hope alive.
But, OTOH, it’s going to be a long hard road.
Hope is what keeps us going. Even if everything is against us and only 3% remains got to keep fighting. I guess it’s also true abt life in general 😊