Last postseason, the Miami Heat were walloped in historical fashion to the Cleveland Cavaliers, getting mercifully swept with 37- and 55-point defeats in the final two games.
11 months later, the Cavaliers created an eerily similar feeling — or at least it felt like it.
Inside Rocket Center, they crushed the Miami Heat, 149-128, roughly 48 after their four-game win streak was snapped at the hands of the Heat, who were dealing with a five-game skid of their own.
Miami’s defense looked lifeless the whole night. The 149 points allowed were a season high — by nine points — while it marked the most points the Cavs have scored in a single game since Dec. 27, 2024. Cleveland shot 53.6 percent from the floor while canning 19 threes, a fairly stark contrast from the Heat’s 44.0 field goal percentage.
To add insult to injury, former Heat and current Cavaliers guard Max Strus had 29 points with a career-high eight threes in his sixth game back from injury. The Strus was loose — very loose, in fact
This game continued an ongoing trend since Norman Powell and Tyler Herro returned: They cannot defend with either — let alone both — on the floor. Miami has now allowed 130-plus points in four of their last six games. Miami’s defense, which has been a top-5 unit for most of the season, has plummeted.
The Heat’s offense from their starters in Friday’s loss didn’t help them much either. Powell led the group with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while the rest combined for 39 points on an abysmal 11-of-38 shooting. Jaime Jaquez tallied a team-high 20 points off the bench, while Pelle Larsson, Kasparas Jakucionis and Kel’el Ware provided some semblence of spark off the bench.
However, it wasn’t enough. Cleveland jumped out to a very quick 15-2 start and didn’t look back. It led by as much as 36, including 35 at halftime, keeping its foot on the gas pedal until the game was way beyond reach.
The Heat sunk back to the No. 10 seed in the East after wins by both Orlando and Charlotte on Thursday. Lo and behold, they didn’t help their standing in the play-in race, where the margin-for-error is remarkably thin.
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The Heat clinched at least a play-in berth today! Yippee!
Same sh*t…different year The only question now is will they be competing for the 7th seed or the 8th.
I can see them having problems with any of the other 3 play-in teams and even more problems next season. The other #6 – #10 teams are all on an upward trajectory. Only Miami is on a downward one.
Things won’t get any easier for Miami next season. Indiana and Milwaukee will be reinforced and ready to compete for playoff spots.
There are several questions for Heat management to answer and many decisions to make before the team will again be relevant. The team will need to take one step back before it can take two steps forward. That process may take at least 2 seasons.
Should’ve been last year (vj) and this year pick anybody from the top 5 this year and next year be raring to go. Just keep delaying the inevitable missing out on great young talent all for the sake of pride and culture and we as fans suffer from it
Do you think we will lose Wiggins and Powell? I think at least one of them will leave, and it wouldn’t be shocking if both did. You were right last year, but the Powell acquisition came out of nowhere and perhaps had a role in delaying the inevitable.
Exactly right. I think most of us figured this would be a gap year which would allow Miami to wait for contracts to expire and possibly miss the play-ins entirely.
Instead, Powell fell in our lap and Jaquez and Larsson came out of nowhere, the team started out great with the run & gun offense and there was hope in Mudville again…if only for a momemt.
I’ve never been one for intentionally tanking. It somehow seems unethical, kind of like what Rozier did and what several teams are doing right now. Its hard to develop confidence and a winning attitude on a team when you are teaching players to intentionally lose.
If the Heat misses out on the playoffs I’m good with that. The way they are playing compared to others in the hunt for the 5th and 6th spots, I don’t think they deserve it.
There’s always next year.
I don’t think I am in alignment with too many here. I will start with a repost of my comment from yesterday.
Where we will be picking (probably 12-16, but 12-14 would be better), they can get an athletic starting quality pf or an athletic starting quality pg who can score. In the 41-42 range they can get a good backup center/pf. You can hopefully do a sign and trade for Powell for a player or pick. The same may be true for Davion. Not sure what Wiggins will do, but I expect him to opt out. Herro on his expiring contract may be someone for a team that needs a scorer. Rozier and Simone off the books. I can see further improvement and a return to relevance.
I don’t think the best decision for this team is keeping Wiggins and Powell, both of whom I really like, unless it is on very team friendly terms. Same is true for Herro, a gifted offensive but deficient defensive player. The difference with him is that he is still young. He is certainly worth $30+m per season but is this the right team for him? I honestly don’t know. If not, being on an expiring contract should make him more marketable. Another player I like is Mitchell, but is he a starting level pg? On a high scoring team, yes. Is he a great pg? No. I googled the best pgs in the league right now and he wasn’t mentioned amongst the top 15. I don’t necessarily agree with that. The bottom 5 listed were Trae, Fox, Murray, Garland, and Ball. I’d say Mitchell is better than all defensively and he has that outstanding assist/to ratio.
So, let’s say hypothetically that Powell, Wiggins, Herro, Simone, and Rozier are off the books, but we keep Mitchell. That leaves
Bam
Ware
Mitchell
Pelle
Jaquez
Kas
Dru
Gardner
Keshad
Jovic
Draft a starting pf/c or pg, and, in the 2nd round a backup pf/c or sf (both more likely here than a pg). Part of the failure of this season was not having a good backup center. They let Bryant go to keep Keshad and Dru.
With some room, they can bring in one very good player and one backup. SS are hard to come by now because of the incentives of staying with the current team due to max and super max contracts. These days you have to get lucky that someone like Brunson blossoms or in the draft.
I believe the team can be better next season, not worse, with the right moves.
I suggest the same, with the only difference to let Keshad go. I dont think that would be a better team, but it could collect 30-40 wins. It depends on newcomers.
Still, Heat should look for quality, not quantity. Superstars, if thats not possible, stars. If thats not possible, talented young players playing positions of need.
Keshad is on a cheap minimum contract. He has potential. If they gave Jovic 4 years, he deserves the same, hopefully with better results.
Some really good ideas, all very plausible and even likely to happen. It seems to me that the downside is that short term, it’s likely a step back. The upside is that long term it gives us some hope for getting out of the rut we have carved ourselves into.
Hopefully they get some Dallas luck and move doesn’t have to be number 1 but top 5 and Mia gets a good pick
That would be a real potential game changer for the team. Even in the 11-14 range, there are players that can be starters next season in areas of need like pf/c or pg. And there is even decent talent in the 41-44 range where our second round pick is.
Bam should have been available to trade at the deadline.
in the giannis deal but hes the captain of the heat titanic.
Yeah that’s what I meant. I’d rather have Giannis with a chip on his shoulder than Bam who thinks an 83 point game against one of the worst teams of all time makes him a big deal.
It was a big deal, no question about that. Mainly because of all the players, many incredibly offensive gifted, only an offensive bum like Bam was able to achieve that.
in the pecking order of nba players do u think bam is a top 100 ?maybe .bams a #3 option and never anybody who wants the ball at crunch time.u have a chance to get giannis u give up bam and anyother two besides ware
Will the real Miami Heat stand up and be identified? I think they have. It is so hard to evaluate our team because of injuries and also inconsistent usage patterns by Coach Spo. Further distorting reality is that we often, almost half the time, are playing teams that have no interest in winning. In a league where Allen and Strus returning to a Cav’s line-up just two nights after we beat them reasonably decisively, they became far superior to us last night.
It is hard to know what we have relative team strength wise unless almost completely healthy and that rarely happens. Well, now we do know and it is actually just a reiteration of what we thought. For the last time lay to rest any notions that this team is anything more than slightly above mediocre. There is no player combination, usage patterns, or strategy to employ, that will take this team any higher than sixth thru tenth seed and probably closer to tenth than sixth. We do not, repeat, do not have enough.
Let that reality seep in and know that we must take measures to improve as the third year in the play in is not satisfactory. Not getting past the first round of the playoffs for three years, and now you can mark it down that, for certain, that will be our fate this year, should lay to rest any harkening back to our past or relating this era of Heat basketball to any of the glory days. And though we may have incrementally improved over last year, it may not be enough to pull out of this mediocrity spin cycle that has become us. That is especially true because our best players are older, and some have contractual issues that may set us back even as we try to continue to improve.
What I am saying here, as I have been all season as it unfolded, is that I don’t blame any fan for being displeased with this product anymore or being displeased with the job our GM is doing. We have a right to expect more. Maybe two years ago or even last year we could point to the amazing journey we went on four years ago and preach patience. That ship has now forever sailed and the apologists need to start living in the here and now.
What direction do we go from here is the question? We are close enough to consider keeping almost everyone and adding. But, to go in that direction and have a short term window we need to keep Bam, Andrew, Norm, and Kel’el, because losing any of those four and you might as well blow it up. Ty is a great offensive player but he is the definite piece that must go with another young player (Jaimie maybe), as we need to bring a 6’10” two way forward and he has to be very good so we need to give up value and those two could bring quality back. Going this route, and I call this the easy way without taking a step back, requires we hit on at least one of our two picks and get another solid contributor, a player who is starter level, not rotational level.
Otherwise, just about anything goes as long as it is not just running it back, and trimming at the edges. That is the one thing we must not do, I repeat, must not do! And also, we cannot lose a couple of our best players by not offering them contracts, and hope our picks will fill in for the losses. We will definitely take a step back that way. And, we can’t whale watch and end up with nothing accomplished again either. If we are taking a step back, I would find it far more intellectually honest to admit we need to change course, and make a commitment to a new direction, and make some trades, accumulate some picks, and start building for a new era.
We can’t go on like this.
Amen Brother! The problem is that the trades should have been made at the deadline. Without extensions, both have no other option than to entertain offers and pick the best offers or teams or both.
I don’t see Bam wanting to hang around much longer busting his butt just to get a play-in spot and a quick and disappointing playoff exit.
Herro and Jovic may be hard to trade without attaching assets.
Riley created this mess. It’s up to him to fix it. Unfortunately, I don’t think he wants to bite the bullet and rebuild or to wait around to see it through. I have a gut feeling he is going to continue down the same path, afraid to risk giving up the safety of mediocrity for a risk at building an elite contender.
I agree with pretty much everything you say. I also appreciate your input as I am truly interested in what the other people on this board would do this offseason.
My opinion – things change fast in the NBA from year to year. Donovan Mitchell will be on an expiring contract next year (has a player option for 27-28 he can decline) and that is the reason the Cavs made the Harden trade/are desperate to win now
Heat can’t tear down and start a tank next year, that much is certain because they don’t control their 28 pick. If they finish in the lottery next year they keep their pick but then their unprotected 28 pick goes to CHA. Next two drafts are also projected to be much weaker than this draft.
Would not trade Herro unless it is for an All-NBA player. Still a believer in his game – he’s 26 and one of the best shooters in the NBA, I think he figures it out. Herro at $33m/20% of the cap next year is a fair value if he is healthy
Yes, but will Tyler take that deal and will he stay healthy? And is he really worth it? Sometimes, not always, but often enough, he wilts when the going gets tough. You can’t always count on his offense. And, defense is an issue. There is another factor to consider. He has already been on the block a few times with no takers. Right now his stock may be a little up. And, I am talking about pairing him with another good player and getting not necessarily an all star, but maybe a younger Bobby Portis level player, for example, an A- player or better. Anyway, those are my thoughts, probably it’s not easily done but that’s my ideal move.
Thanks for weighing in.
First of all, Herro is a proven choker in big games and the playoffs. . Secondly, his defense sucks big time. Thirdly, he’s injury prone. Finally, no way in hell he’s worth the $40M-$50M per year/4 year extension that he is probably expecting. There, I said it.
didnt read your post basically said about same thing this 2015 heat dude needs to copy and paste more stats from his stat site.trade herro for an all nba playerlol he lost all his cred on that sun
Did you say Bam and Herro for Giannis and Portis?
theres no way milw does that.pipe dream.
Needs the Missouri treatment: Show Me! There is no good reason to extend him at this point. Come in next season healthy and stronger (people may forget that he waited the whole offseason to decide on surgery, resulting in him missing substantial time). Improve your defensive skills to at least acceptable, play out next season, do well, and we can negotiate.
come on dude offense 1/2 the game.worst defender in nba ty is good offensively when healthy and fresh always gets hurt never their for playoffs and when he is he suks.he overdribbles alot takes bad shots.cant win with him
He is not a good defender but is not the worst in the league and is not even close to the worst.
pls tell me whos worse.its hard to imagine anybody being worse.names please gimme 2 outside dunc lol
Look it up, it’s easy to find. You make stuff up, I don’t.
Took me 10 seconds.
Based on February 2026 DARKO Defensive Plus-Minus (DPM) data, some of the worst defenders this season include Keyonte George, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Trae Young, often identified due to low impact or high opponent scoring. Other frequently mentioned poor defenders based on advanced metrics or reputation include carrington, Caleb Love, Anfernee Simons, Sensabaugh, Westbrook, and Clarkson.
I agree with most you said, especially about change of direction. I thing another gap year is needed, but a low end one, not play-in one.
I m not talking about tanking, I m talking about getting rid of vets and playing young guys far more, no matter the results.
I would let go, trade or let expire both Herro and Powell. Shooting guards have no much value in this league, so you can get a solid one for a much smaller value then those two. I would also let go or trade Wiggins, because he is too expensive for what he offers. The same with Simone, Keshad is not talented enough, so I would let him go too.
That leave us with:
Kas as starting PG
New player as starting SG
Pelle as a starting SF
Bam as starting PF
Ware as a starting C
Bench:
Mitchell as a backup PG
JJJ as a backup SG/SF
Jovic as a backup SF/PF
Gardner as a backup SG/SF
2 drafted players
Dru as an insurance PG
This is bellow 100 mill a year team for 26/27 (not including a new SG), so there is a room for sign some quality players, if needed.
That’s a very young team, which should win 30-40 games next season, as it is.
P.S. Jovic is in there only because he is untradeable. All players except Bam should be available, if a whale comes along , or if there a high quality young player is available.
I agree, getting rid of the expensive vets and developing our young players with potential seems to be the only viable option. There is no whale coming to join the Heat, it’s time to give that dream up.
A whale usually can pick his team in a last chance to play for a ring. So, I agree, if we couldn’t get a whale before the chances of getting one now are almost zero.
Good ideas. I think that team would take a step back record wise. But, probably a lot of those things are going to happen anyway. At least the lower salaries would allow some flexibility.
I truly want to hear everyone’s ideas on what they would do if they were GM now.
the real heat team is not being maxed out by dumbot,ill leave it at that.bam ware 35mins jjj 35 wig norm 35.fk dav go pointless hes useless.pelle gard dav kj off bench,u cant guard cant play(norms d is adequate enough)
Davion is a great starting PG. In addition to his POA defense he is 2nd in the NBA in AST/TO ratio, can drive, shoots 39% from 3, only takes 7 shots a game. And only makes 12m a year (7% of the cap). Definitely least of the Heats problems. Heat are +5 in his minutes, second best behind only Bam
3 issues this year –
-Losing in the Herro/Powell minutes (due to injuries they have played together hardly at all)
-Losing in Ware’s minutes – Heat effectively have no backup 5 man who can hold the lead when Bam sits
-Getting nothing from Jovic
That leaves much less margin for error to win even with a borderline All-NBA season/impact from Bam, the emergence of Pelle as a top 100 player, a good rookie season from Jakucionas, and a 6MOTY season from Jaquez
You have a good ability to take all the disparate pieces into account in your assessments. And you have the data to support it. Thats a good combo of astute observation and fact based analysis.
Appreciate it, I find it interesting trying to figure out what is happening in the game and why, it’s a distraction at least
when your pg averages single digits for his career great starting pg lol
This is his first year as a full-time starter and he’s 8th on the team in FGA/game, only so many shots to go around
Mitchell this year
9/6.5/3, 48% FG, 39% 3FG, 7.4 FGA/game
Andrew Nembhard last year for comparison
10/5/3, 46% FG, 29% 3FG, 8.3 FGA/game
I don’t fully agree. Perhaps with better use of Ware we could squeeze a little more juice from this lemon, but it’s not turning into Cinderella. Spo does do some inscrutable things, but coaching is mostly not our problem. In fact, it’s just my opinion, but I think other coaches could do worse with our roster.
a rebuild down here arena will be empty.mickey and pat know that
That’s probably one of the biggest issues, the fickle south Florida sports fan. I think he’s got a little more insulation from the empty stadium woes for maybe two more years but then it could start to happen and that’s even if we stay at the play.-in level. So, there is risk either way but I will say that Riley did earn more leeway at the box office than the other sports in this town. Even now, after winning two cups, if the Panther fans have to endure three years in a row of missing the playoffs or getting knocked out embarrassingly easily, they would be playing to half empty arenas.
We are going to face one of the following teams in the play in: Orlando (we lost all games against them this season) or the young and significantly improved Charlotte (they blew us out the other night) Philadelphia (likely to have Maxey, Embiid and George back for the play in) or Atlanta (also a very hot team recently) And these are just the play in teams. We have no business in the playoffs this year. We might win a game in the play in and advance (although even this seems unlikely now), but we will not win a series against anyone. This team cannot win consistently against better teams.
Yes, that’s how I see it too. Abd it’s not pessimism, it’s realism.
Sounds about right unless Mitchell gets hot again and bails Miami out of the play-ins so the Heat can have its 15 minutes of fame before being sacrificed at the alter by either Detroit or Boston.
This was the highlight of last season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YwrAXAgrXs
I remember back in the day when Miami had a pretty good defense. The downside to starting two weak defenders (Herro and Powell) and having a 6’4″ average starting line-up is poor defense. Bam, Wiggins and Mitchell can’t cover for both of them. Spo must not have received the memo entitled “SMALL BALL IS DEAD”
As far as the offense is concerned, forgetaboutit!
A new low.
I wouldn’t mind to sit everybody but Ware, Pelle, Kas, Keshad, Gardner, even Niko.
The result would be about the same, but watching games much funnier.
No Jaime? What did he do wrong?
It wasn’t meant as some kind punishment. More in the way, that I know exactly what to expect from every player I suggested not to play.
But I don’t know what to expect from those suggested to play, which makes them much funnier to watch (even more with the addition of some G-leaguers).
Its clear, that this team is not going anywhere this season, and major changes are needed, so something like that would be really fun.
Even at full strength, Miami cannot compete with top teams who are also at full strength. Miami is the epitomy of mediocre.
Some teams may need minor tweaking to be competitive. Miami needs a full makeover.
With the development of Atlanta, Charlotte and Toronto as well as the resurgence of Philadelphia and the return of Haliburton/Pacers, it won’t be any easier next season to make the playoffs.
Without significant upgrades, the Heat may have difficulty making the play-ins in 2026-2027.
There is a very real possibility that the dreaded tank, be it soft or hard, is forced upon us. With the rightful concerns about our contracts coming up, and the likely improvement of several teams, I think it could happen. Even the Wizards might be about as good as we are this year. And, I see your point about Indiana, they could be a top four seed. It’s going to get harder, not easier, to keep up.
havent weve seen the bam tyler team versus cleve before.we need a couple guys better than bam..bam is not big time player.and against the top centers he gets owned,reason hes not a fn center ,ware is the only true center on team and versus 2 bigs dumbot doesnt start him.is that dum or what.back to sleep spo nightmare woke me up