Needless to say, this has been a frustrating season for the Miami Heat. Although they have put forth some short spurts of solid basketball, they have largely been unable to sustain any extended momentum.
After winning two games in a row, including an impressive 127-120 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, they got blown out by the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, 129-100. Still, guard Tyler Herro says that the team wants to avoid the play-in tournament and finish sixth in the Eastern Conference.
“This locker room does not want to be in the play-in.” — Tyler Herro
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) March 26, 2023
With the loss, the Heat are now in seventh place in the East, which means if the season ended today, they would have to go through the play-in tourney in order to reach the playoffs.
Herro played well against Brooklyn, scoring 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, but he got little help.
Overall, Miami couldn’t defend the 3-point shot, as the Nets hit 18-of-40 from downtown, and it also got outrebounded by double digits.
One would likely think it should’ve been able to defeat a rebuilding Brooklyn team, especially one without Ben Simmons. But for much of the season, the Heat have had trouble defeating squads it should be able to put away.
The 100 points they scored on Saturday is indicative of perhaps their biggest problem. They’re the only team in the NBA averaging less than 110 points per game, and their 3-point shooting, which had been their biggest strength the last three years, has deserted them.
Unless Miami makes an unexpectedly deep run in the postseason, it could face some difficult decisions this summer. It will have to decide whether to give it another try with its current core, or to possibly blow it up to at least some extent and start over.
Herro, who is 23 years of age, is under contract for four more seasons, while team leader Jimmy Butler, who is 33, has three years left on his deal.
Some people, including NBA on TNT personality Charles Barkley, feel it’s time for the Heat to rebuild.
