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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least we didnt trade for beal
Tough times ahead of us…Well at least we ain’t the suns or sixers .
lol. the Suns and Sixers? You mean the teams that made the big offseason moves that everyone wants to fire Riley for not making?
Yes sir lol, and even the mavericks can be included In that category, ppl want pat to retire, but I don’t see that happening for at least another 4 seasons. I agree with most ppl on here that pat has lost his touch, but i think Riley has one more big move left in him, and that will mostly likely happen in a season or two. Whether it’s through a trade or free agency, especially getting off those terry and dunc contracts.
to many mistakes mickeys bf should be fired.put sunman at gm and we’re a better team.the man from sun does his homework puts in the hours deserves the job.
The terms re-tooling and re-building do not compute with Riley. He’ll sell the family farm and all it’s future picks if he thinks he can make Miami relevant again before he retires. Although it won’t guarantee a title contending team if he succeeds, it could ensure a bottom dwelling team for years to come if he fails.
I would say at least those teams tried. But, yes, the Suns, Sixers and Mavs are in a quandary too. The Mavs had an unfortunate injury that may have ruined their plans. I am not sure, but that may be not on the GM.
The Suns are harder to analyze but it seems like it was poor salary decisions where they paid three guys too much and didn’t have enough left for the rest of the team. So that one is on the GM.
The Sixers were possibly going to win it all. They made a great draft choice and he got hurt and then they lost their superstar. The parallel to the Suns is both overpaid the aging, used to be all star. George and Beal were mistakes so your case for sometimes acquiring big names being a mistake is made. But, I am not sure I can blame it completely on the GM, as injuries were probably the bigger issue with the Sixers demise..
And, just cause other GMs fail doesn’t exonerate ours for doing nothing (oh wait, the plan was run it back and Alex Burks will put us over the top).
There is difference between trying and being flat out stupid. Mavs traded away a generational player who dragged them to the finals last season for an injury prone player with a nickname street clothes for a reason, soon as ad got hurt overplayed kyrie, and he got hurt, as a result of not having another capable scorer ball handler, while luka is doing wonders for the Lakers. That’s on the gm, mavs fan want him fired. Suns also did another terrible move, trading assets and depth for a redundant player and albatross no trade claus contract, one of only 2 in the nba. Beal is also injury prone as well. That was on the gm and owner, suns fan want James Jones fired for that. Now let’s look at sixers already have aging injury prone embiid, so what do they go after another old injury prone player in pg, also he let go of harden, which seems to be a mistake when you see what he doing with the clippers. That’s on Morey, those fans as well want him gone sooner then later.
We want to fire him for last year’s in- season and this year’s in-season moves. He gave up a first round pick last year for Rozier and he gave up Butler (an A player) for a B player (Wiggins) and a C player (Anderson) on multiple year contracts, plus a protected first round pick that may end up being in the #20+ range.
Rozier was good last season, but this season he fell off badly. Also Wiggins and Anderson with a first is an adequate pickup considering it was better than getting a bloated Beal contract, also Jimmy tanked his own trade value as well.
He tanked after Riley refused to trade him and started suspending him. Riley tanked his value as much as he did. He could have gotten a better trade if he had acted sooner. He probably could have also gotten FA Kuminga if he had waited longer. Instead, he blinked
Heat fans facing uncomfortable truth about team after latest loss
This is the worst Heat team in a long time.
“One way or another, change is coming. This is the worst Miami Heat team since the 2007-2008 season, when they finished with 15 wins. In 2017, despite the 11-30 start, they finished the season 30-11 and almost made the playoffs. In 2015, despite missing the playoffs, Miami traded for Goran Dragic, which led to future success. Even in Dwyane Wade’s last dance year, the Heat were still somewhat competitive. This Heat team has shown no fight, and it’s to the point where fans don’t want to watch anymore.
For an organization built on a culture of toughness and winning, this version of the Heat is unrecognizable, and unless they take action, it will only get worse.”
https://allucanheat.com/heat-fans-facing-uncomfortable-truth-about-team-after-latest-loss?utm_campaign=FanSided+Daily&utm_source=FanSided+Daily&utm_medium=email&sc=e0273490fd355e2c28bdb25751d41af65a4dd80936ff00a80be9866c97887955
I remember that 30-11 team that finished .500. This team is way better than that bunch of jokers
Just saying it doesn’t make it true. What that team lacked in talent they made up for in heart. Plus, they had a PG who knew how to run a team and get the best out of the offense. No offense to Mitchell. I like him a lot and think he would make an excellent back-up PG or fill-in in a pinch. He’s just not a good enough playmaker or scorer to start on a contending team. He’ll do in a pinch, but I don’t think he’s worth an unreasonable amount of long-term money.
Goran Dragic was great. The rest of that team was an absolute trainwreck. I will die on this hill. That team was the worst Heat team since the Butler/Butler rookie season
That’s my point. If the Heat had a Goran Dragic type PG last year and this year, Butler might have played better, gotten his extension and the Heat might have been in a much better place than they are now. One player can make a difference. Just look at Golden State. After Dragic left Phoenix, the Suns went to s***!
A couple weeks ago, I said this team had gone through a major change and needed time to adjust. I said the 5-game homestand was their chance to from an identity and get the season back on track.
So What happened?
They went 0-5 on the homestand, all but ending their season. Fortunately, it is almost impossible to fall out of the play-in. And if the Heat fail to make the playoffs, they’re due a top-10 pick and a shot at the lottery.
But unfortunately, that is basically all that is left to root for this season. I’ve been calling this team a rebuild since before the Jimmy Butler trade. I still believe that. And I still believe this team has potential.
But this season is over.
Pick would be 11-14.
Well, maybe they win the lottery and add Cooper Flagg and all of our problems are solved
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.
“But it is clear as day. Jimmy shot 3-11 last night and his team won because he now has a supporting cast.”
Correction. Jimmy now is the “supporting cast.” He knew he could no longer carry the team. He knew he could no longer be “Playoff Jimmy.” That is why he demanded to be traded. Now, he is able to be a great #2 behind Steph (maybe even #3 behind Green), while still getting paid.
Any way you cut it, Jimmy was destined to get paid…by getting traded somewhere else. The only problem is, Riley didn’t get the most “bang for his buck” when he traded him. He could have traded him for expiring contracts, young players with potential and draft picks. He could have done a lot of things differently if he had only been thinking and planning ahead. He didn’t do that, Instead, Jimmy caught him flat footed without a back-up plan and now the team and the fans are paying the price for it.
It’s time to clean house and start all over again…beginning at the top!
I won’t argue about whether or not Riley should retire – maybe it would be best if he did. But Butler quit on this team long before Riley’s comments. Riley made those comments at the end of a season where Butler had many lackluster performances, missed too many games for personal reasons and late night tennis matches, was pissed off about not getting the extension, and spouted ridiculous comments about the Knicks and Celtics when he was not able to play. Butler quit, then Riley exacerbated the situation with his end of season comments. Remember too, that in those comments, he also called out Herro for being fragile. Did Herro sulk and quit? No, he came back stronger and better.
Also, each time Butler left a team to my knowledge, it was on bad terms. I don’t recall Chicago, but Minnesota, Philadelphia (“Tobias Harris over me?”) and now Miami, ended badly.
Riley knew that. As a shrewd executive he should have had a contingency plan. He didn’t. Instead, he got caught with his pants down and now the team and fans are suffering the consequences. He f***ed up.
I don’t disagree with you about Jimmy’s lackluster performance last year and this one while he was with the Heat. My only point is that Riley was not prepared for Jimmy’s trade demand when it happened. He had no contingency plan. He had no trade he could whip out of his back pocket and get a deal done before the situation got out of hand/ugly. The divorce may not have been entirely Riley’s fault, however, the failure to plan for life after the divorce is entirely on him. Now, because of his inflated ego and poor planning, the children’s lives are totally disrupted and everyone is suffering.
Spo can no longer put a positive spin on the current situation. He can no longer cover for Riley’s ineptitude and inability to put a stronger team on the floor. If it is all because billionaire owner Mickey Arison wants to save a few bucks, then he is also to blame for the team’s current situation. Maybe it’s time for a clean sweep, starting with the sale of the team to someone willing to bring in a whole new crew and put a competitive team on the floor. Meanwhile, this team is the worst one since they tanked in 2007-2008.
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.
Just because someone has a different opinion doesn’t mean they also aren’t ‘telling it like it is’.
True. But, criticizing is unpleasant. Someone didn’t like what I wrote today. That’s fine, I realize we all don’t see everything the same and I prefer that.
Criticizing usually takes more guts than saying all is well. No one likes a critic. But, in my life some of my best decisions came from taking criticism to heart and changing. We can’t get better if we pretend it will all work out if our talent evaluator and negotiator is not hitting on all cylinders.
I know that along the way to becoming this borderline playin team, some moves worked and quite a few didn’t in the team building process. I also know what an illustrious legacy our GM has. GM’s, like ball players, are going to have their ups and downs. It’s all in the percentages that our fortunes as a team rise or fall.
I appreciate Zac’s comments because they went against the grain where, up to recently, many felt that things are fine, we just played in the finals two years ago, and our GM is a legend. Zac saw the storm clouds on the horizon, as did I.
As Gordon Lightfoot put it, “heroes often fail.” And, “stories come to an end.”
Yes, I agree that criticism can bring needed change, and I am not an apologist for the front office or Spo. Change is definitely needed to bring this team back to relevance.
Some good points. But Anderson has only one guaranteed season left. And Wiggins, who played an important role in the Warriors championship, is on a reasonable tradable contract. We all know what a critical offseason this will be. The future of the team for at least the next 3-6 years will be determined then.
Excellent post Zac. I don’t agree with you about Bam. I think he and Ware are the future for the team. However, I do agree that many changes are needed, starting with the GM, coach and several of the players, other than Bam, Ware, players on rookie contracts and the G Leaguers.
It will probably take another year of drafts, trades, player development and waiting for contracts to expire before the team can truly go through a re-tooling/rebuilding process. As long as we fans are patient, the team should be better off for it in the end.
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.
Solid comment!
This team was built for a different era, The small ball era. Now with Ware and Bam, this is more of a traditional team with a big frontcourt. The various parts do not match.
I would love to see the Heat add a physical/athletic two-way SF, a slick two-way/pass first PG, a good two-way SG and a good two-way third big man to play interchangeably at C and PF with Ware and Bam. I would also like to see Johnson, Stevens and Christopher get playing time to determine if any of them has the potential to one day become one of those players (PG, SG or SF) or at minimum, a rotational player?
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.
More like sharks with piranhas waiting in the wings. Every team in the NBA wants to see Riley, Spoelstra and the Heat team bleed. The only reason Miami (29-38) is still in the play-in discussion is because the best team in our division Atlanta, is 3 games under .500 (at 32-35) and the other two, Charlotte and Washington, are in full blown tank mode (at 17-49 and 15-51 respectively).
At present, Miami is only 1 game above the surging (6-4 in last 10 games) Chicago and 5 games ahead of 11th place (24-43) Toronto, which has won 3 straight and six of their last 10. With 15 games left, it is still possible that even Toronto may pass the Heat for the final play-in spot.
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.