- Jaylen Brown’s confident message after Boston Celtics force Game 7 vs. Miami Heat
- Draymond Green wants Celtics to come back 3-0 on Heat so people forget about Cavs coming back 3-1
- Tyler Herro takes brutal shot at Stan Van Gundy for making fun of his fashion on Miami Heat bench
- Report: Gabe Vincent ‘wanted to play’ in Game 5, is trending toward playing in Game 6
- Udonis Haslem looked to LeBron James with fate of NBA bubble in question: ‘If you ain’t playing, the Heat are out’
- Miami Heat release update on Gabe Vincent ahead of Game 6 vs. Boston Celtics
- Stephen A. Smith says Miami Heat need to win Game 6: ‘You’re not beating Boston in a Game 7’
- Jimmy Butler on why he still remains confident despite dropping Game 5 to Boston Celtics
- Jaylen Brown issues yet another warning to Miami Heat after Boston Celtics win Game 5
- Erik Spoelstra’s NSFW response to doubters still saying Miami Heat are underdogs to Boston Celtics
Report: Bam Adebayo and Victor Oladipo expected to sit out Thursday vs. Houston Rockets
- Updated: December 15, 2022
The Miami Heat will likely be shorthanded on Thursday when they visit the Houston Rockets, as Bam Adebayo and Victor Oladipo aren’t expected to suit up.
In addition, there appears to be a chance starting point guard Kyle Lowry won’t be able to play.
Bam Adebayo spoke of his soreness after the game. Assumption here likely is no Adebayo or Oladipo on Thursday night in Houston. Lowry will be interesting, moving with unease at the end Wednesday.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 15, 2022
If there is one team that the Heat can afford to be without Adebayo and Oladipo against, it may be the Rockets, who have one of the NBA’s worst records at 9-18.
However, there hasn’t really been such a thing as an easy game for Miami this season.
It holds a dismal 14-15 record and ranks just 28th in offensive rating, and it has failed to win more than three games in a row so far this season. Although the team has been a bit banged up, its issues seem to stem deeper than health.
Lowry has declined pretty sharply, as he is shooting just 39.7 percent from the field, and the team as a whole simply lacks the type of offensive firepower that would allow it to get off to good starts.
It’s a problem the Heat have had for the last three seasons. Even when they reached the NBA Finals in 2020, they often fell behind against elite teams such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and they had to expend lots of energy simply to make things competitive down the stretch and give Jimmy Butler a chance to do his thing.
It is an operating format that simply isn’t sustainable, especially if the Heat are to win their fourth NBA championship.
They have been rumored to be looking to add some offensive punch, and they’re reportedly interested in players such as the Detroit Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic and Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors, among others.
Some, including “NBA on TNT” personality Charles Barkley, even feel the Heat should hit the proverbial reset button and start all over again by making wholesome changes instead of trying to remain competitive.
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