Unfortunately, pulling out big victories cannot mask the shortcomings of a recently shaky Miami Heat roster.
What would have been, what should have been, what could have been, would have been the theme if the Miami Heat turned another big lead into a loss. Instead the questions became, what will this season become?
It is always too early to write a team off less than a quarter into the season, but recent history has not been the biggest endorsement for a bright Miami future.
For starters, the Heat have made a sport out of blowing games in the third quarter. According to Team Rankings, Miami is ranked 30 in the league in scoring to start the second half, with 20.6 points. Which equals last place for a team averaging the sixth worst point total (100.5 points per game) in the NBA. Couple those facts with the lack of effort on most nights, and you have the No. 11 team in a depleted Eastern Conference.
So where should one point their frustrations?
Towards players like Dion Waiters and James Johnson, who have played expectedly up and down as they have done in every other non-contract year? Or someone like Hassan Whiteside, who lets being overlooked jade his focus? How about president Pat Riley?
Yes, the free agency class of 2017 was pretty weak, but maxing out on last year’s roster was not a smart move. Miami spent half of last season underachieving, only to overachieve enough to a .500 record and a first row seat in front of their televisions for the postseason.
No matter how spectacular of a run the Heat had, the team still leveled off at mediocre. And mediocre pieces cannot form the foundation for winning. Riley’s five decades in the league should have told him that giving the 11-30 crew a chance to build on a 30-11 anomaly, would be a bad idea. Which begs to question whether Miami’s godfather has officially lost his touch.
After all, the last two targets that he missed out on are exactly what the Heat needs—a slashing small forward who can create his own shots. In a sense, Miami is missing Gordon Hayward more than the Boston Celtics are.
However, the Heat do not have the means to do anything about it. The assets that Riley bragged about possibly being able to use to bring a player to Biscayne, are not succeeding on a high enough level to be desirable to anyone else in the league. Not at their prices, and not without any available draft picks to spark interests.
Only time will tell if Miami can jell or make a move. But what fans can bank on is a nightly rollercoaster ride, every time they touch the floor.
Next: Miami Heat: Dispatch from Waiters Island, week four
Unfortunately though, it comes with no guarantee of the playoffs.