Miami Heat veteran big man Udonis Haslem believes that the team has a little “hangover” from last season that contributed to the slow start in the 2022-23 campaign.
“Sometimes you have a little hangover,” Haslem admitted to The Ringer’s Wes Goldberg. “We had a long season last year. One shot away from the Finals.”
The Heat came up short in the playoffs last season, but they still put together a terrific 2021-22 campaign. The team won 53 games during the regular season, earning the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Miami would roll through the first two rounds of the playoffs, knocking off the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers. However, the team struggled offensively against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Injuries to Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler didn’t help, and the Heat ultimately lost in seven games to Boston, as Butler’s go-ahead 3-point attempt in Game 7 came up short.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96TF332HBGE
The Heat did not get out to the start they wanted to in the 2022-23 season, despite returning most of last season’s team, outside of forward P.J. Tucker, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
Haslem explained that the team may have forgotten how hard it worked last season to build the chemistry that made it such a good team.
“Sometimes you just expect to pick up where you left off,” Haslem said. “We expect the camaraderie and everything to pick up where it left off and we maybe forgot how hard we had to work to get that chemistry.”
After a rough start, Miami has won six of its last 10 games to pull back to .500 on the season at 16-16. The Heat currently hold the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are seven games back of the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s understandable that the loss in Game 7 could have taken a toll on the Heat, and they also have dealt with injury issues to start the 2022-23 season.
Herro, Butler, Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent and others have all missed a chunk of games this season. It’s hard for any team to get into a rhythm with so many key players in and out of the lineup.
Haslem and the Heat are hoping they can right the ship for the rest of the season and make a run at a top seed in the East.
The Heat have made the Eastern Conference Finals in two out of the last three seasons, going to the NBA Finals once.
