The Miami Heat were demolished in their 125-91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night 125-91 in FedEx Forum, the second night of a back-to-back for both teams.
Miami has now lost a season-long seven straight games and is a whopping nine games below .500. Miami’s one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls for the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and 6.5 ahead of the tanking 76ers, who are trying to keep their top-6 protected pick.
The Grizzlies were without star point guard Ja Morant; it didn’t matter. They shot 55.4 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from 3-point range. They had 72 points in the paint, going 36-of-54 in that area and a very efficient 23-of-39 on non-restricted area 2s, which is incredibly efficient.
The same story could not be said for the Heat, who shot just 39.8 percent, including 34.1 percent in the second half (4-20 3PA). Kel’el Ware, who finished with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, scored 10 of his points in the final frame when the lead was insurmountable.
Bam Adebayo was far more aggressive through three quarters than he was Friday night, when he had just seven shot attempts. Adebayo had 18 points and six rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Ware and Adebayo were the only two Heat players with multiple made triples; Andrew Wiggins, Tyler Herro, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell and Terry Rozier all had one apiece. The Heat was also disheveled on the glass, losing the rebounding battle by 14.
Saturday’s loss is the second time the Heat have lost seven straight games in a single season since December of 2023. If you couldn’t already tell, we are at rock bottom. At least they keep climbing up in draft position?!?
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It is very, very clear that Pat is slipping. His ego got in the way of his business sense. He alienated his best player who decided to quit on the team in order to force a trade. When that happened, Pat did not have a Plan B to deal with it. Now Miami and fans are paying the price for Riley’s ego. It’s time for Pat to retire and for the team to move in another direction. Spo has lost control of the team. The players are tired of his rah rah b.s. It’s time for a coaching change as well.
This team needs an enema!
I don’t know about alienating his superstar. But I do know Riley has not had a plan B for a few years now. He has whale watched, ended with nothing several times. His lack of adaptability has hurt us and is directly attributable to the sorry state we find ourselves in. Jimmy left because he couldn’t put a team around him. We miss that because Jimmy also wanted to get paid.
But it is clear as day. Jimmy shot 3-11 last night and his team won because he now has a supporting cast. I have been calling for Riley to retire for two years now. I saw it early because I had the Panthers GM to compare his moves to and there is no comparison. The Panthers GM is always ready for any contingency, a step ahead. Riley often defaults to doing nothing, calls it playing it back. But, it’s really just ineptitude.
If you take out the games that Butler played, Miami is 16-26.
Or a 38% winning percentage.
In the games Andrew Wiggins has played, Miami is 2-9. Or an 18% winning percentage.
Simply as currently constructed this is one of the worst Miami Heat teams ever assembled, and most of the players are locked in for at least one more year.
On the Wiggins trade – ytd between GSW and Miami his teams are a net -150. In only 11 games with Miami he’s already a -95.
This trade is yet another reason I think Pat has to go. Yes, Miami had to trade Jimmy, but in my mind, they didn’t realize it until too late. Once Pat publicly called out his best player, the writing was on the wall. But instead of recognizing it, they decided to run it back with a pissed off and lazy Butler.
Then to top it off, instead of finding a way to get expiring contracts and or draft picks, Heat leadership was dead set on trying to compete, and ended up with Wiggins -150 and Kyle Anderson -66 on the year. Not only are they stuck with them this year, these contract are going to be here 2 more seasons.
So Miami without a real high lottery pick (unless they get super lucky in the lottery), no cap room for free agents, a past his prime GM, is going to field a very similar, very bad team next year.
The 76ers and their process is no way to run a team, but the fact that this teams leadership didn’t recognize that this should be a rebuilding year, is scary.
By the time this team is relevant again, Bam’s best days will be behind him. At this point, Miami needs to sell him and Tyler off and acquire draft capital on expiring contracts to start over.
It might also be time to follow the Celtics blue print and rid ourselves of an aged GM and maybe kick Spo upstairs ala Brad Steven’s, since we’re stuck with that contract, for a guys who’s messaging clearly isn’t clicking anymore.
Good post Zac. I always appreciate those that tell it like it is, especially those who saw it coming early.
I don’t believe its about the players. This is a group of good players, which are trying to play hard. They are just don’t play according their strengths.
We have good players and a bad team.
Generally, I believe, its a sum of several issues, why things are that bad.
-Fit between players is not good.
-Heat try to built its own way to play basketball, which differ from mainstream right now. It may be that the direction is wrong. If the direction is right, maybe the players are not good enough to execute it.
– No clear leader of this team.
-Coaching is not good.
-players confidence.
This is still a talented team, which can turn things around, if all stars aligned. But of course, even in this case this year that still means a first round playoff exit with sweep or gentleman sweep.
I m not sure if I want to see that.
I like your comment about trying to build their own way to play basketball, different from the mainstream. That has definitely become a good sized part of the downfall of this team.
Thats, lets say, unbelievable.
Is there a similarity with 2017 heat team?
Heat suffer…
fans suffer too!!
I hate this season 😥😬
By the numbers. Last time the Heat had an 8 game losing streak? 17 years ago. Previous 8 game losing streak before that? 34 years ago.
We are in uncharted waters and the alligators are getting closer.
Goes to show Heat is all abt winning. But its not always the case…just have to go through some tough moments.
Yup. Sometimes you have to go through the tough times to appreciate the good times.
Closer to keeping our first round pick that would be 11-14, plus the Warriors pick. Warriors playing well, but I think they won’t get past the second round. That would give us a pick in early 20s. Not as high as I hoped, but would help as long as we have both.
You can’t out pizza the hut man it would have to be of epic proportions to get below Toronto
Just a pathetic course of action
Very unlikely to end below Toronto. 9th or 10th seems to be where we are heading.