The fun and exciting start to the Miami Heat’s season has come to a crashing halt, as they lose their season-worst third consecutive game to the Sacramento Kings, 127-111.
It’s also the Heat’s fourth loss out of the last five games. They drop to a 14-10 record overall, 10-3 at home and back into the East’s play-in picture as the current seventh seed.
Miami is starting to lose games that they should have won. The offense and defense doesn’t feel the same, and the results are trending in the wrong direction with no answers on the horizon. The Kings entered tonight’s matchup with a 5-17 record as one of the most underwhelming teams in the league as the 14th seed in the Western Conference. Yet, they stormed into Kaseya Center and made it look easy from start to finish.
Zach LaVine’s game-high 42-point explosion led the way for Sacramento, as the veteran guard completely torched the Heat defense.
The Kings shot an efficient 53% overall as a team and 42% from 3-point range on the night. Miami’s biggest concern, which has been an issue over these last few games, was their inability to shoot from beyond the arc— going an abysmal 29%. They simply couldn’t keep up with LaVine and the Kings’ shooting efficiency all night long.
Some of the rare bright sides to the Heat’s loss was the play of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Simone Fontecchio off the bench. Jaquez posted an all-around 27/6/6 statline on 9 of 15 from the field. After his 3-point shot had gone cold recently, Fontecchio finally got some to fall again. The Italian sharpshooter finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds on 8 of 14 shooting.
However, it was a quiet night for the Bam Adebayo-Norman Powell duo. The double bigs starting lineup with Kel’el Ware also didn’t work once again. In Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson’s absences due to injury, coach Erik Spoelstra went with a first unit of Dru Smith, Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Adebayo and Ware. It was Miami’s 10th different starting group in 24 games, and that lineup was outscored by 86 points combined.
Spoelstra has attempted to run both big and small rotations, and it doesn’t matter if Herro or Powell have been available or not— the Heat look like a different team for all of the wrong reasons lately. Their pace and space offense has been a shell of itself from the start of the year. And the defense has looked even worse. There are deeper rooted issues in these recent losses, but in a nutshell, it has appeared that Miami’s chemistry has unfortunately looked off ever since Herro’s return.
Hopefully the Heat can get back on track sooner rather than later, before the rest of the East continues to pass them by in the standings.
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dav is our mvp.not best player but most important.gotta get ware going with bam.send jovic to g league.
This is just temporary. They’ll figure it out as ive said there will be bumps along. We enjoyed the wins. The big wins specially. Lets not panic. Yet.
Just to clarify a couple of issues. Who gives a f*** if:
-OR- if
If JJJ (who is a mestizo) is a “whitey” I guess so are mulattoes such Steph, Klay, Tatum, Haliburton, Cunningham, Porter, Gordon, Kuzma, Young, LaVine, Booker, Murray, VanVleet, the “Balls”, Wemby, and a buttload of others.
As far as classifying players and folks in general, when are we going to start recognizing everyone as members of the same human race, instead of putting labels on them such as black & white, straight and gay, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu and Americans vs people from “shithole countries.”
I tune in to Heat games and follow this blog site to escape the prejudices, biases and racism of the world, not to seek more of it.
How about everybody try to chill tf out and eliminate the racist comments? I, for one, am tired of that s***!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
GO HEAT!!!
Sorry man, but I’m not racist on any side. My life is all about social justice on every level. But, I won’t lie that after over fifty years of observation, and it’s an imprecise science, but in general it seems to start to be a problem to have 5-6 white players in the top ten of your rotation, like the Heat do. Any number below five in your top ten of your rotation and you can field a competitive, winning team, as long as they are good to great players.
And again, it’s imprecise, but generally three white players and definitely four or more on the court for extended minutes is almost always a problem. The evidence is there because of all the NBA teams over the last fifty years, you see three whites on the court during non garbage time, when the game is on the line, maybe 2 % of the time. Does anyone think that is just a coincidence? I do not find any problem with two on the floor if they are good players.
I stand by my comments. It’s an unsettling truth, but some unpleasant things are true. I just am tired of tiptoeing around it. I’m not apologizing anymore. You can and will criticize all you want. And I understand how much better it feels to pretend that things in this world are more ideal. I wish it was a totally equal and fair world with only nice and kind words in it too.
I do offer to not post anymore about this issue. But, I said these things because I believe them to be true and will continue to. I also want the Heat to get down to four whites by trading two away to be more competitive and many of my comments are said with the hopes of making those changes. I don’t want to argue or confront with anyone or convince anyone to see what I do. My only motivation is just wanting our Heat team to win.
Thanks 30. I appreciate your observations and opinions. However, putting a quota on the number of whites on a team seems like reverse discrimination. That is what blacks faced in sports decades ago.
Time to look forward not back. I don’t GAF if the players are black, white, brown, yellow, red or green. All I want to know is if they can play. Like you, I just want to see them win.
I’m with you on this. We didn’t suggest that Winslow or James Wiseman aren’t good because they’re black. It was simply they weren’t good players. I’m fine with anyone saying Jovic is unplayable right now because it’s true. Not because he’s white, but because he has been a net negative on the court. Maybe he won’t ever be that good – I don’t know. But it’s not due to skin color. After all, he’s an ic.
Yes, again thanks for hearing me out.,I completely agree that there are plenty of players who aren’t good and even whole teams every year that are at the bottom of the standings without a white player on them. I get what you are saying and see your point clearly. What I was suggesting, a collective effect or impact, is a far worse thing, suggesting the need for quotas. It’s an ugly concept, one I’m not proud of. But, it is clearly supported by empirical evidence, which is results found during usage.
Again, my bad dinner conversation, akin to talking about politics or religion, will cease now. I know it’s un-pc..
Look I’m not a pc guy at all. And I have a lot of respect for you and believe we should all feel free to express our opinions. And I’m doing exactly the same. If I disagree with a position, I will counter it. If, as some people roll (not you) who spout arrogant, disparaging, profane comments, I will dish it back. It’s not the way I prefer to be, but some don’t leave much in the way of options.
Yeah, the whole quota idea does suck and it is morally wrong, even if it’s clearly supported by empirical evidence. Thanks for hearing me out. I won’t talk about this anymore, it’s sort of like bad dinner conversation.
I understand what are you saying and I don’t think your claims are racist. I compare it with short sprint. If there is 10 sprinters on the start and none of them is white, then black people are obviously more talented for sprinting. That’s a fact, not racism.
We can also say, that best white player ever was Bird. But again, maybe there was 50 black players better then him in the history of the game. I could agree with that, because it is probably true, and the claim, that black players in the past were better then white players, is correct.
But things are changing. There are a lot European players coming into NBA, not because they are white, but because they are good, as good as black US players, or even better. Thats also the fact, simply because nobody is giving millions to somebody from other side of the planet to be bad. (except in case of mistake).
I think we are on the same side to this point. From here on, no.
I m convinced.
I also support and root for every Heat player. Since I like point guards and wings more then centers and shooters, I prefer to watch playing those then Powell, Herro, Ware, Bam and Fonteccio in this team.
Which brings the group of Dru, Mitchell, Pelle, Nico, JJJ and KJ, I prefer to watch.
Not Nico lately, of course, because he is really bad.
I left Johnson out. I dont like watching him, because he is just not good enough player for that level, and he will never be. Thats the fact too. But of course, I m rooting for him too. Maybe he will succeed somewhere else.
So, thats it from my side about this topic. Going any further wont contribute to anything.
Fantastic comment Mr V!
agree.
All of our guys besides bam and powell who are generally good every night have come back to their level.For me ware is our only way to improve w/o a trade.The non development of him is frustrating.Hes easily a 20 12 guy i believe
Are we still trading Tyler for Collins?
Only if they through in Zubac and we throw in Jovic and Rozier.
if norman powell is your best player that still is not good enough.better than last year but thats just not enough talent.if bam is your center thats not good enough.find a way to make bam ware work if not trade one or fire the coach.bam ware are top 3 players make it work or trade one.i think wares getting little frustrated at his usage with top 15.and top 15 seems little frustrated with ware.maybe wares too tall for erics midget lineups.sonething aint right with the handling of ware.at times ware looks disinterested .somethings got to give with top 15 bam ware it aint a good look .
This was the first real failure of the season, so I wouldn’t take it to seriously. Every team have several of those in the season.
Latest losing streak should also be expected. Every team has those.
But its time for bigger changes. Starting lineup is not set, as it not bench rotation. Several players are much worse then they used to be at the beginning of the season, and those, who could replace them, doesn’t contribute much.
About players. Powell , JJJ, Simone were somehow positive in this game, but except Bam and Powell, there is nobody else playing well in past 3-4 games.
Jovic was bad again, but not as bad as in previous games, so there maybe is a chance that the rock bottom is behind him.
And lets face it. Johnson is not an NBA level player and he never will be. There might be the place in the league for such player 10 or 20 years ago, but not today.
Again some white man cant jump debate, and that during the game, where all starters were black, and only two white players (three, if you count in JJJ, I m not sure what he is).
If JJJ is a whitey, then those three white bums scored 59, and seven black players scored 52.
I m not a friend of political correctness, have no problems with people expressing what they think. But I prize the quality of the conversation, and about which colour jumps higher is not really what I want to discuss.
I haven’t seen the game, so I am not going to comment specifically about this game, but I think that other teams have already figured out our offense and our weaknesses and their adjustments are the reason we are losing. Now we have to adjust to their adjustments. Also in the beginning of the season every player (maybe except Niko) played excellent basketball and it just wasn’t sustainable in the long run. It’s normal that there are ups and downs during the season. People tend to overreact, but this is human nature. I am with you on the racial topic, basketball is not a track&field competition. But people are free to have their opinions.
Yes, opposing teams figured it out. The shift in playing style is needed.
Many of those points were mostly scored in an extended garbage time against the Kings backups. What happened in the second quarter is where one should look if one wants to honestly assess our team and face its weaknesses and address them.,There are always ways to obfuscate the facts, not see what’s really happening. Watch the second quarter again. The game was lost then. And the team became dispirited after that. Then LaVine went crazy early in the third and any chance of a comeback was gone.
And it was a significant loss, not one that should be taken lightly. That was a bad team that destroyed us. And, that bad team has some really good players on it. The reason I point that out is to illustrate how many good players it takes to make a good team in the NBA, and just how good those good players have to be. Being just okay doesn’t cut it.
Furthermore, while I agree with you that Keshad doesn’t have the ability and his chances of improving enough are a long shot, it should be just as obvious that Niko is in the same boat. They are different, but similar in that they are limited. Niko was rock bottom last night. Garbage time against second teamers is a whole different game. Again, watch the second quarter. And worse, he hung his head, brought the whole team down. After four years it is unlikely to get better.
Interesting as he was a 0 in +/- in 30 minutes while all but two were in the negative, and one of the two played was 14 mins, half of Niko. Truly talented to be able to pull that off, I guess.
You have every right to see things whichever way you want. But, again, watch the second quarter. If you see it differently, nothing I can say will change your perspective. I’m not going to try to convince you. Variety is the spice of life.
guys one obnoxious sob 30
Second qt started with 34:31 and it was 60:50 when Jovic is subbed 5 min to go. After t those 5 minutes score was 72:55 without Jovic playing.
Which part of a 2 qt. should I watch? Nico was bad, but no worse then anybody else but Powell and Simone.
Watch the part when Niko came in. First, he made a three. But, what ensued after that was five minutes of every mistake a player can make. There were missed shots, turnovers, blow-bys, and worst of all, second chance points from offensive rebounds given up. Then he did that put your hands on both sides of your head and start shaking it move. How do you think other players feel when they see that? Otherwise, he did fine.
Bad, terrible, unacceptable. All true.
Read my post once again. I said he was bad.
But saying that this loss is entirety his fault, is a bit unfair. A lot of players were bad.
No way the loss was all Niko’s fault. I did not mean to imply that. A few others had bad games too and we also had some injuries that left us undermanned.
Again some white man cant jump debate, and that during the game, where all starters were black, and only two white players (three, if you count in JJJ, I m not sure what he is).
If JJJ is a whitey, then those three white bums scored 59, and seven black players scored 52.
Lmao Norman Powell is our best player even with a healthy Herro go jump off a bridge idiot
Norman Powell is our best player this year, by far, IMO, so I ll skip that bridge for now.
Of those 59 points, at halftime JJJ and Niko had about 6-8 of them so it was deceiving. Niko had four, and JJJ had probably two, or maybe four. We talked at halftime on these threads about JJJ struggling. And Eric said something about Niko struggling sometime in the second half. JJJ had a very good third quarter, and overall he played well and seemed to find his game in the second half. But, probably about half of JJJ’s points and probably three fourths of Niko’s came in garbage time against subs. Simone, on the other hand, made several threes and a layup in the first half when the score still mattered. And he played decent in the second half too.
Ok, you are right. No more please.
Niko 6 mins and two FGA in loss on Wednesday. Zero minutes in loss to Magic. Somehow blamed for loss for play in 2nd quarter when he was in with Wiggins (former 1st pick, AS and champion, Bam (AS, multiple ECF and Finals play, and Olympic medalist), JJJ (in running fore 6MOY) and Fonteccio (arguably top 3 Italian player all time) but somehow it was Niko’s fault. This board, man.
Of course it was. His defeatism somehow plagued the whole team. He should be isolated in SF in G-league, where snow is, or even better, send in Europe where he belongs.
No dude. It’s you. I swear, look at yourself and the stuff you say. You attack others, totally unprovoked. And most of the things you say are hard to fathom. You have your own peculiar reality. I am having to put up with you, have been for a long time. Get a mirror.
Yup, this board. I wax nostalgic about the good old days when we had active mods on the blog. There were always big differences of opinions here that were respectful, but not some of the bs, hate, venom, and conspiracy theories. And if you crossed certain lines, you were warned, suspended, or banned. But, unfortunately, that is the way things are these days where you can say anything on social media and people believe it no matter how absurd or hateful it is. I believe in the George Harrison Beatles song ‘Think For Yourself’.
That forum was an isolated island of decent debate, focused on Heat basketball for past 10 or so years, I m around.
Things gets into extremes really fast lately. From total happiness two weeks ago to what you can read on this forum today.
Not much fun in this anymore.
Ugly 3 game losses culminating in this Sac beating. Maybe there’s an unsettling feeling with the whole team the past days coz the Freak is coming and lots of them will be leaving? Wattya think? 🤔😁
That game sucked big time. Looks like mojo and defense started their vacations early. No mojo, no defense, no fun. Let’s see if they find it for Orlando playoff game next.
Time to start looking for trading partners. Also time to send Jovic to Sioux Falls for the holidays. The snow will remind him of home. Jaquez and Mitchell both pitbulls. Need more of those kinds.
game shows how important dav is to us.
He wouldn’t have helped tonight.