The 26-31 Miami Heat are currently the 10th seed, simultaneously combusting within the locker room and falling out of the playoffs at the same time.
The Miami Heat will be on a 3 game homestand against the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and the Golden State Warriors. In that homestand, you can expect fireworks to finally go off for the Heat, for better or worse, this is best explained by this quote from Udonis Haslem, per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel:
"“The next step,” he said, “is to break something.”“I’ve come close,” Haslem said of potentially losing a share of his hypothetical damage deposit. “I’ve expressed my concern with the guys. I’ve talked about how important it is taking care of home if you’re really trying to be a team that makes the playoffs every year.“You definitely want to take your home games. That’s almost a must. So I’ve expressed those things.”"
Haslem is a longtime captain of the Heat, and deservingly so, he has been one of the grittiest players in NBA history and is the epitome of Heat culture. And while this is most likely the last year for Haslem in a Heat jersey, he was anything but silent after the loss against the Philadelphia 76ers last night, as the Heat looked as if they lost their toughness.
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, Josh Richardson, and Justise Winslow were all behind the comments of Haslem, as they believe bringing players like Derrick Jones Jr. and Goran Dragic back from injury will jumpstart this team in dire need of a wakeup call. And while Jones Jr. already came back against Philly, Dragic is reported to be coming back as soon as Saturday night at home against the Pistons (Wayne Ellington return to Miami, too).
Moreover, this team has to know how close they are to being kicked out of the playoffs by teams like the Pistons or Magic, Haslem continues illuminating us below:
"“I can’t speak on it. I have no idea. There’s something about being on the road, with the me-against-the-world mentality, that I think helps us,” Haslem said. “We’ve got to figure how to translate that at home. I can’t figure it out, but we’re running out of time. We’ve got to figure it out soon."
Haslem’s words are true, and if the Heat don’t figure it out, then you can expect this whole roster to be sold elsewhere this summer by the restless Pat Riley. Frankly, the only way for the Heat to wake up is to win games, and it starts with the next two games against the Pistons and Suns.
Tune in to watch the Heat vs. Pistons tomorrow night at 7:30 PM Eastern.