The Miami Heat Tip-Off, Week Four: What happens now?

The latest edition of the Miami Heat Tip-Off, a weekly AllUCanHeat column, is here.

The pouring luck keeps on mounting, as the Miami Heat are now in the middle of a three-game losing streak (for the second time this season already).

They finished last week with a 2-2 record, including an unlikely loss against the Washington Wizards at home.

To make matters bleaker, they are recording a horrendous 3-5 record in Miami; they simply cannot close out games and are being outgunned and outmatched offensively. They are being destroyed with a defensive rating of 109.9, ranking 19th out of the 30 NBA teams.

What gives?

This week didn’t start off too hot either, with another loss at home to a Jimmy Butler-less Philadelphia 76ers.

And yet again, the debate of who has the most dominant big goes to Joel Embiid; another realization that Hassan Whiteside simply can’t compete with Embiid, who finished with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and a +12 for the night.

Whiteside on the other hand had 13 points, 11 rebounds and a staggering -15 in the game.

Not ideal.

With the team already at 0-1 for the week, let’s see if Miami can maybe somehow find a way to turn things around, before they completely slip to lottery pick territory.

Upcoming Games:

Wednesday, November 14 versus the Brooklyn Nets (Away)

Friday, November 16 versus the Indiana Pacers (Away)

Sunday, November 18 versus the Los Angeles Lakers (Home)

This Week’s Preview:

Good news: Goran Dragic is back and hopes to regain control of the first unit, in terms of aggressiveness and fast transition pace.

Bad news: Dwyane Wade is still out and will be for this two-game road trip. Odds are he will be back for Sunday’s weekly closeout game at home, against LeBron James and the newly formed Los Angeles Lakers.

Before getting ahead of ourselves though, the Heat will have two troublesome obstacles in front of them until they can head back home.

The first one is against a very gritty Brooklyn Nets team.

Not that different from the Heat, the Nets are also on a similar two-game losing streak, but have been playing at a higher level than Miami. They are 6-8, eighth overall in the Eastern Conference and going back home after a four-game road trip.

So it’s safe to say they have an advantage.

They are 3-2 at home and have been averaging close to 110 points per game, a threat that doesn’t bode well for Miami’s already depleted defense.

If they escape that trip, they fly down to Indiana to face a team that has become a nightmare for opponents everywhere, after another resurgence from Victor Oladipo. The Pacers, already sporting a comeback win over the Heat in Miami, are now back home after a two-game road trip, ready to make noise in the East.

They aren’t a great home team but have Philadelphia within their sights, only a game behind them for the third seed.

The last game of the week, the Los Angeles Lakers, seems like a better outcome for the week for the Heat; but even at that, only if the prodigal son returns.

A shiny prediction of a 3-1 week, out on AUCH On Air, now seems like it might shift to a gloomy 1-3.

Especially if they can’t overcome their turnover stumps and aren’t communicating well on the switches. They also need their offense at 100 percent and at the moment, unfortunately, it seems that won’t come around for at least another week or so.

This Week’s Challenges

Can Dragic make a stronger impact offensively?

Can Wayne Ellington become their 3-point savior?

When will Wade really come back?

Here’s to a positive outcome on a tough road ahead.