Tyler Johnson and the Miami Heat are the only team in the NBA with a winning record on the road, but a losing record at home. It’s atypical for a team to be more successful on the road than at home, but it’s something that Miami is looking to change.
The Heat hope to bring their road mentality back to their home court and Johnson spoke with the Sun Sentinel about how the team hopes to change their fortunes at home:
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“It’s important that we can keep this momentum going and carry it over home because I think with a good strong home court, how our team competes on the road, that’s the recipe for what we set out to do all this time.”
When asked about why the team can buckle down on the road and pull out wins, Johnson’s message was simple: It’s just them. They seem to grow stronger with an us-against-the-world mentality that is common for teams to feel on the road.
“It’s just you,” said Johnson. “It’s like whoever came on that plane with you is the only people you’re going to get out of the city with. That’s really what it comes down to. I think just taking that mentality to go home.”
When he was asked how to transfer that mindset to their home court, Johnson sounded like a Nike commercial:
“Just do it. Just do it. You’ve got to work. You’ve got a job you’ve got to do, so do it. Whatever your routine is, whatever it takes, figure it out to where you can be locked in at all times during the game.”
If the Heat can figure out their struggles at home, their playoff hopes will grow significantly brighter. Their recent road trip offered a boost to their playoff hopes, but that means nothing if they can’t win games in Miami.
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