The Miami Heat ended their Wednesday night in heart break, as All-Star Cade Cunningham stepped up in the clutch to bury Miami on their home floor. Cunningham walked it off with a huge game winner for the Detroit Pistons— handing the Heat their ninth consecutive loss.
They’ve lost 16 of their last 20 games, with the most recent 116-113 loss to Detroit being right up there as one of the most painful of the entire 2024-25 season.
Miami played with some fight, physicality and a will to finally get over the hump. There was some on-court tension between the two teams that seemed to light a much needed fire in the Heat. However, it still wasn’t enough.
Cunningham had control of the game from the start, finishing with a 25/12/11 triple-double to cap off his fourth quarter heroics. He shot 11 of 25 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Both squads had runs throughout the game, but it was the Piston’s 28-20 advantage in the final period that got the job done for them.
Even with each of the Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro duo playing at an All-Star level, the team-wide defensive lapses is what lost this game. The Heat allowed Detroit to scorch them with their shooting, as the Pistons shot a sizzling 51% from the field and nearly 40% from deep.
The Heat also lost the rebounding battle 47-37, which was one of the biggest discrepancies of the game.
Adebayo was masterful, totaling a 30/9/8 near triple-double effort on 50% shooting. The big man had everything going, including midrange pull ups and floor spreading abilities from beyond the arc. Herro also supplemented his star teammate with 29 points of his own on 50% from the field.
Kel’el Ware added a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double as the starting center for Miami. Duncan Robinson and Davion Mitchell contributed 14 and 12 points each, respectively.
Despite an obvious tough loss courtesy of Cunningham’s buzzer beating game winner, the Heat showed some signs in this matchup. They were perhaps a healthy Andrew Wiggins away, with the rotation closer to full strength, from earning this win.
Instead, their downfall continues, dropping 11 games under .500 at a now 29-40 record. The next chance to bounce back will come on Friday against the Houston Rockets.
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Miami Heat president Pat Riley celebrates his 80th birthday today.
While NBA legends took time to acknowledge his renowned career, Heat fans expressed their frustration given the team’s recent losing streak.
Instead of harsh attacks, it was a plethora of sarcastic comments hinting Riley should depart from the organization.
“Happy Birthday to one of the greatest basketball minds of all time,” one user said. “He put Miami basketball on the map and turned this organization into a first class organization. He deserves a statue and a farewell tour. Emphasis on farewell tour. Love you Pat, go be with your family.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/miami-heat-fans-refuse-to-give-pat-riley-a-break-on-80th-birthday/ar-AA1Blhbb?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=9939a10a28a64ae6aa80f91ee17e3729&ei=42
ty u mickey and pat for 30 years of excellence
Butler fooled around and got a triple double tonight vs Toronto. Warriors won by 3. They are now 40-29 and Miami is now 29-40. Warriors are 15-2 since Butler’s arrival. Heat have gone 4-16 in it’s last 20 games (including 9 straight game losing streak).
It is now obvious to all that Butler was holding out/sandbagging/quiet quitting to the detriment of the team, while he was under a binding contract. It’s also obvious that Riley knew it. Butler deliberately underperformed in order to 1) lower his value around the league and 2) make it easier for one of his preferred destination(s) to trade for him without having to gut their entire team to do so (e.g. Phoenix).
Rather than play hard ball until he could get a young player in the trade (e.g., Kuminga, Podziemski, etc.) Riley folded and gave into Butler’s demand/Golden State’s low ball offer. I guess, if nothing else, we found out who the Alpha Male is.
Right now, Riley’s judgement is being questioned by many. I think he has finally hit a wall. The game is changing too fast for him. I felt the Heat should be a running team years ago. I felt Miami could be able get easier shots on the offensive end and still play lockdown defense. They weren’t a running team, primarily because Butler is not a running kind of guy (more of the half-court type).
Maybe now, some consideration should be given to recruiting younger, faster, tougher, two-way players. Miami needs to evolve with the times. Look at OKC and Houston. The current Heat team is composed of pieces that do not fit well together without a main distributor or a clutch closer (can be two different people or the same person). That’s what Butler did as a point forward back when he was actually making an effort to play his game (before he decided to quiet quit on everybody).
It’s time to retire Pat. Thank you for everything you have done. Maybe your #42 will be hanging in the rafters one day. Better yet, maybe you’ll get a statue across from Dwyane’s.
jimmy looks as good as ever,lots of spring all of a sudden in those 35 year old legs.he owned the city was a beloved player our next d wade then jimmy became jimmy a real pos.
Like a bad break-up or a divorce, you always remember the reasons you left, not the reasons you got together. You always remember the last argument, not the first kiss. In Butler’s case, I can’t help but remember the selfish, insensitive way he left his teammates and Miami high and dry, not what he may have done when he played for the Heat.
im gonna remember him as a quitter to.what he did was show what a selfish pos he is.if ud was still playing this sht wouldnt have happened he would have punched butler out.current fkn teammates so soft
“Pat Riley is stuck in his ways. He’s about to turn 80. When you look around the league, and you look at the teams that are having success, legit title contenders, they got young blood in those seats.
“And I’m not telling him to walk away from the organization. I’m just telling him to be a consultant. Let somebody else have this seat. Let somebody that’s gonna go out there and be a guy that’s not afraid to change what the Heat culture about…I just think Pat Riley, his time has passed, and that’s okay. It’s time for him to hand over the torch.”
~ Kendrick Perkins ~
Fair statement.
u interested u should beu have the passion thoughtful hard worker know bball
coaches dont matter get spobot better players
Personally, I can’t get enough of this. Your guys went pretty hard on Dame needed to be traded to this specific team with four years on the contract speaking of loyalty. But loyalty would have meant rewarding the guy who led you to two finals. Riles reaped what he sowed this time. Enjoy the rebuild. Sometimes it doesn’t take that long. Heck, the Blazers are already better than you.
Lol, you reference a team that hasn’t sniffed a championship in 48 years, 11 years before the Heat even existed. Good one.
That ain’t sayin much. Right now, 20+ teams are doing better than Miami. Tough times don’t last forever, but tough people do. We’ll be back!
Well, Portland certainly shows a great amount of gratitude to their franchise player not to trade him to the team he wanted to go.
I’m ready to see the Sioux Fall guys now. Enough of this nightmare. They’re tanking but don’t even know it.
Absolutely! I still think Johnson is a diamond in the rough. Stevens may surprise some folks. Christopher’s 3 point shot is improving. Who knows what they can do until they are given the chance to play. I wouldn’t mind seeing Bam, Herro and a few others getting fewer minutes and/or rest for a few games.
Couldn’t agree more with both of you on this issue!
I think Pelle may be better especially but he’s honestly I think we have to get rid of Haywood especially if they’re duplicative players
hh doesnt want to score pelle just cant.neither are good players youd want on a good team
We did learn a lot about the value of a superstar in winning games in this league. For example, two decent B+ totally useful complementary players do not equal one superstar in their impact on wins and loses. And, in superstar, we should define that as an A+ player. But, Cade, who is not a superstar yet, is a solid A player, and, as last night showed, they make a difference too.
We have an A- player in Bam, who is as good on defense as offense unless playing center where his effectiveness goes down to a B+. And Ty, a B+ player because of some downrating for defense, but he is an A- player when used with four good defensive players, which is the best usage for Ty.
Still, our best players, even when used optimally, are not as good as Cunningham, and that is where we get hurt. It’s hard to get A to A+ players, and when you get them they are often old and not in their prime and also so expensive they limit other moves. It’s best to develop them, so draft picks are key to team building.
What the Heat can do is use Bam and Ty best optimally, Bam with Kel’el in and get a quality back up center. And Ty as a shooting guard with a good point guard and no other defensive liabilities on the court when he is in. The two draft picks we get should be used accordingly, targeting a point guard and another two way wing. And then we should trade for a quality big. We need to offload a lot of our defensive liabilities, as well as the Dunc and Terry contracts.
There is a lot to do, some big weaknesses. The time to start fixing this team is now.
great post 30 tys got to play with 4 2 wayers playing him with dunc is bball suicide.
And, if you really think about it, on some level it could be said that what the Heat did in never tanking brought all this on. Essentially, you can delay or avoid a tank only so long. It’s hard to get the A and especially not the A+ player in the prime of their career by any means other than drafting and developing that player. You can pull off shrewd deals fleecing players from other teams only once in awhile, and maybe that is getting harder and harder. So, basically, you have to be bad to get a high pick and then you must hit on that pick. And then be bad still for another year and hit on another high pick. Then, you can start filling in the complimentary players but at some point you need to do just what they say, trust the process. And only then can your great coach use the talent and turn you from a contender to a winner.
We need to tank, which will come naturally, and then hit on our draft picks, even though they won’t be that high, and build around Ty, Bam, Wiggins, Kel’el, and Davion, maybe keeping Burks for awhile and whoever is better between JJJ and Jovic. We may not be good for a year, but make good picks in 2025, and good trades using any of the players not mentioned to get a more needed player or two and/or possibly a 2026 pick, and by 2027 we could be ready to contend again.
Again, true. And the CBA, and the astronomical $50-70 million salaries for top players, has made it near impossible to get superstars any other way.
remember lebron bosh it can be done both ways but home grown talent best way to do it.good trades also like getting an sga for pg.tanking suks i m not in for tanking theres no guarantee that way,u can wait forever to be good again.if bam and ty are opt 2 or 3 and add some dawgs not duncs we’re back in business.jimmy just needs to be replaced with a guy like him easier said than done
That’s an insane soliloquy . There’s no way they should bring Tyler back with his extension looming Oct.1 . Without having the necessary intangibles that lend its self to winning like Bam had displayed in multiple deep playoff runs . But like most on here I respect your opinion even though they’ll should’ve moved him after the bubble hindsight 20/20.
I mostly agree with what you’re saying but Bam is 27 every year is win now with him in his prime with a higher basketball iq only untouchables besides him at this point should be Ware and maybe Jovic . 3 out of the 4 Wiggins-Herro-Rozier-Robinson need to be move preferably i’d want to keep Robinson due to the combination of contract and skill set if they retro fit this team properly. You can’t bring these lot back collectively making next season 100 plus . I want them to gauge the opportunities surrounding KD for one season . Sign a cheap vet center back up if Love leaves an Biyombo type maybe and pg ( Jones) draft a rotational rookie pg (Fland,Fears,Richardson etc) . With the three vets that get moved we have to look at targeting youngish development prospects .Ala ( Cody Williams,Cole Anthony,Ayo Dosumnu ) that we can potential finesse another squad with the bad contracts frees up the future picks . They don’t want to miss the playoffs . Make a few shrewd signings like a Bruce Brown type connector . Yes, these moves don’t necessarily make you a championship contender next season but if one of the young guys pop and this team looks better then expected by deadline we could potentially trade for a guy or two with Duncan’s contract and a find a real plus ball handler of the bench or starter.
1.Jones or another vet,Rookie,and maybe stevens (*im 50/50 on Mitchell walking)
2.Brown,Robinson,Haywood
3.KD,Williams,Christopher
4.Bam,Jovic,Love
5.Ware,Vet Big
Agreed o don’t get the love fest for herro here! Also agree on he should’ve been traded years ago his style of play never leads to winning. Also add Ivey to those young players you talk about Mia trying to finesse a team from. Maybe even trade Herro for him.
Absolutely excellent comment!!
Thanks RC. You taught me a lot, gave me the ability to see a more nuanced perspective.
High praise indeed! Thank you.
Very good observations 30.First and foremost, Riley needs to retire and Spo needs to decide if he has the stomach and emotional stamina to go through a re-tooling or re-building process.The only way Miami gets an A+ player is to draft and develop one or for one to decide he wants to play only in Miami. Meanwhile, draft pick(s) need to be selected, contracts need to expire, trades need to be made and the bench needs to be upgraded,. This phase should not be rushed, since It will take until at least the 2026 offseason to see where the team stands. By that time, several contracts will have expired, decisions will have been made about the futures of current players on their rookie contracts and G Leaguers, new players will have been drafted and a few trades may have been made.Ironically, if Riley had decided not to cave in to Butler’s demand to be traded and had kept him until the end of the season, they would likely be no worse shape (wins and losses) than they are now. Furthermore, Butler’s salary would be coming off the books this summer rather than being replaced those for Wiggins and Anderson. Because Riley blinked and gave into Butler’s demand, the team and the fans are suffering with the consequences while Butler reaps the rewards.In the business world, whenever an organization fails, someone must be blamed. The players are doing the best they can. Spo is playing the cards he was dealt the best way he knows how (by rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic). Riley is the mastermind who has received the credit when the team has succeeded in the past. He must get the blame when the team is now failing. It’s been a great run Pat. It’s now time for you to move on and let the team turn the page and plan for the future..
Good post Sun. How come you stopped using the bold? My guess is the team is now in a different phase where no matter what there are no quick solutions, so no urgency, so no bold?
Thanks 30. For some reason, my earlier posts didn’t have the line to select Bol, Italic, Underline, etc. This one does. 😁
If Miami was in the Western Conference, it would be below 12th place Portland and ,13th place San Antonio. Yet, in the East, they are in line for a play-in spot. If they do not make the playoffs, the Heat will be in line for a mid-lottery pick with a shot at a top four pick. Cooper Flagg? Hmm?