Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that the team needs a shift in its mindset to be able to win games.
Miami was blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, even though Philly didn’t have All-Star center Joel Embiid in the lineup.
Erik Spoelstra on if there needs to be changes to rotation/gameplan: “There has to be a mindset shift to be able to win, game in, game out.”
“All the answers that we want are in that locker room.” pic.twitter.com/nTlEL09MdF
— alex toledo (@tropicalblanket) March 2, 2023
The loss dropped the Heat to 33-30 on the season, and they are now 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the Heat aren’t careful, they could fall behind the Atlanta Hawks, who are just 1.5 games back of them in the No. 8 spot.
Spoelstra clearly believes in this group, as he believes that the team has the answers in the locker room to turn this season around.
The Heat made the Eastern Conference Finals last season with a very similar roster, but they have taken a step back in the 2022-23 campaign.
Injuries have certainly played a part in that regression, as Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo and others have missed time this season. Still, the Heat can’t lose at home to a Philly team without Embiid if they want to make a run up the standings before the postseason.
February was rough for Miami, especially the back half of the month. The team lost to the Denver Nuggets and Nets ahead of the All-Star break, and it came out of the break with losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets.
The loss to Charlotte, who is the No. 14 seed in the East, certainly stung, but Miami rebounded with a road win over Philadelphia on Monday.
Unfortunately, the loss on Wednesday night sets Miami back again, and it is looking more and more likely that the team could end up in the play-in tournament this season. Luckily for the Heat, Brooklyn lost to the New York Knicks on Wednesday, so Miami didn’t lose any ground in its chase for the No. 6 seed.
Spoelstra and the Heat will look to get back on track in their next game on Friday against the Knicks. New York has won seven straight games to move into the No. 5 seed in the East.
