Miami Heat Makes and Misses: Adebayo, Richardson and inconsistency
By Rob Slater
A trio of blowout losses and one gutsy win, highlight a confusing week for the Miami Heat that lead to more questions than answers.
After a perfect week that included bounceback wins against the streaking Boston Celtics, the struggling Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Miami Heat reverted to their old ways with a devastatingly inconsistent week, going 1-3 as they enter December.
While the one win was a solid, gutsy home effort against the Charlotte Hornets, the three losses were far more troubling. First, a decisive blowout to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the hands of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Then, a no-show in New York as the Knicks got whatever they wanted en route to a 29-point loss. Finally, the Heat returned home and completely fell apart in the second half against the mighty Golden State Warriors, a 28-point loss after trailing by two at the half.
Losses are completely understandable. While frustrating, they happen over the course of an 82-game season. But losses like these, where the Heat are essentially out of the game from the opening tip and can’t mount any sort of resistance, are indicative of a fatal roster flaw the team must address.
Too often in the New York and Cleveland losses, the Heat simply failed to show effort. Their offense sputtered (under 100 points in all three losses) and their defense was equally as uninspiring. They settled for lengthy jumpers, completely abandoned the concept of ball movement and offered zero resistance at the rim or on the perimeter.
It was a total collapse that leaves the Heat fan realistically wondering what the future is for this team. With December 15 approaching and the Heat’s record not able to find its way north of .500, one has to wonder if the clock is about to strike midnight on this version of the Miami Heat.
But enough about the negative, there were some positives for the Heat during this four-game stretch. Most notably the introduction of Bam Adebayo and the resurgence of Josh Richardson, who rounded into form after a dismal start to the year.