The Heat dropped their eighth consecutive game on Monday, losing by 21 points to the conference rival Knicks. It’s the first time since Erik Spoelstra became the team’s head coach in 2008 that Miami has lost that many games in a row, notes Chris Herring of ESPN.
“We’re all getting tested, including myself,” Spoelstra said. “No one’s absolved from this. I’ve not come up with enough answers for this team. I have to do a better job. Our group has to do a better job.
“We have to put our feet into the dirt and hold our ground at this point. You always have a choice. It doesn’t mean you’re going to win, necessarily. … But (you at least have) to make some strides. And you could see that in some of the losses over the last three weeks, where it felt like we were making strides. The last two games haven’t felt like that.”
The Heat have been one of the NBA’s most successful teams since Spoelstra’s arrival, so their recent slide has the team in unfamiliar territory. According to Herring, Miami is 10 games below .500 for the first time since 2017 and has been held below 100 points for three consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
“We’re going through the dark days right now,” forward Jaime Jaquez said on Monday. “As a team, right now we’ve got to come together and find a way to fight. It’s something we’ve been talking about. We just need to find something to rally around.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Terry Rozier, who is averaging just 11.2 points per game on .396/.300/.857 shooting through 59 outings, is disappointed by his performance this season, but after missing the end of the 2023/24 campaign due to a serious neck injury, he’s thankful to have made it through this year without any major health issues, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Do I wish I played better all season? Of course,” Rozier said. “But I’m just thankful that I can still put a jersey on and play, and I’m still hopeful that things can turn around for me and the team.” The veteran guard will be on an expiring $26.6MM contract in 2025/26.
- While his first six weeks with the Heat haven’t gone as planned, veteran forward Kyle Anderson – who has a guaranteed 2025/26 salary and a non-guaranteed salary for ’26/27 – sees himself as a fit for Miami moving forward, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I feel like I can fit anywhere,” he said. “I’ll be able to figure it out and I think I’m smart enough to see how things are done and be able to do them at a high level.”
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald considers how much lower the Heat’s season could go, noting that a fall to 11th place in the East is unlikely because they have a 5.5-game cushion on the 11th-place Raptors. However, it’s not impossible, Jackson acknowledges, since Toronto has the easiest remaining schedule of any NBA team. For what it’s worth, Miami’s rest-of-season schedule is the league’s fifth-easiest.
- It’s worth keeping an eye on where things stand with the Heat’s 2025 first-round pick, which will be sent to the Thunder if it’s not in the top 14. If the team finishes strong and earns the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, that pick will land at No. 15, making it the best possible choice that could be sent to Oklahoma City this season. However, if Miami misses the playoffs and keeps its pick, the club would instead owe the Thunder its unprotected 2026 first-rounder, which could end up being even more favorable than No. 15 if the Heat can’t upgrade their roster in the next year.
Strange year upcoming for Mia. I assume they will wait till the trade deadline next year to make any big moves/shifts. I see a mild offseason as so .
Next year they can either expire out Wiggins to really open up that summer 26 cap or use their own plethora of expirings (Roz Robinson Anderson Love) to try and punch up
Id probably want to relinquish the 15th pick this year and be flexible to go either way next year if I’m them
The little I watched of the Miami game last night, Kyle Anderson looked very good.
Big man defense, down low scoring, and very smooth.
Wish he could’ve done that stuff with the Warriors, but I don’t think he was given much of an opportunity.
Best of luck to him.., Seems like a great teammate.
“We’re all getting tested”. At face value this reads like a metaphor, but with the kind of ship reilly runs have to wonder if he’s been subjecting them to other kinds of test that may be impacting their performance. Diet or workout tests, or maybe even some experimental supplements…
Don’t watch Heat enough to know what’s wrong. I know they got routed last night. Terry was a good signing imo. But has not really worked out. They don’t have a guy who runs offense. And losing Jimmy a leader can’t help. There’s talent on this team. Need to man up. Figure it out………
Terry Rozier is almost single-handedly dragging that team to a high lottery pick. Almost unbelievable how far his game has fallen off.
The effects of cancer are long lasting and will take a while to rebuild the strength of this teams will to compete…
They have the pieces to compete for the Finals in the East… They’ve just had a massive sideshow all year and the release of the trade has made them less sharp because they aren’t trying to prove they don’t need Jimmy to get rid of Jimmy anymore…
“they aren’t trying to prove they don’t need Jimmy to get rid of Jimmy anymore…”
Maybe that’s because they actually needed Jimmy all along.
Bahahahahaha
Yup all those titles show that…
“the trade has made them less sharp because they aren’t trying to prove they don’t need Jimmy to get rid of Jimmy anymore”…16 players ganging up to get rid of a player…Sounds like the real problem is the coaching staff and the players. They should be playing better, not worse, since Jimmy. They can’t motivate themselves to play better. Maybe they are just there for a paycheck and no other reason.
Call it a TANK! They don’t put effort in any 2nd half since a while
Certain players need the ball to be productive.