The Miami Heat pulled a “Heat” to lose Wednesday’s game to the Hornets. It may be their last for a while as things got pretty crazy around the NBA.
The Miami Heat came into Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets with almost perfect conditions to come in and do what had to be done. They had just come off of another close win that was harder than it should have been against another familiar foe and underachieving team in the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
That game should have had the Heat on edge, especially since they would be playing without Jimmy Butler due to the toe injury that he sustained in said win over Washington. The previous fact plus the following is why there should have been “almost perfect conditions”, as although Butler would join Meyers Leonard on the injury list for the time being, Miami Heat rookie stud Tyler Herro was set to make his return.
The game started out all in the Miami Heat’s favor. They came out on fire, with Derrick Jones Jr. nailing multiple and almost consecutive threes to open the game, with everyone else doing their parts as well. They went on to have just their fourth 40 point scoring quarter of the season in the first.
The second quarter was really what did the Miami Heat in, losing it 37-11. They went into one of those patented Miami Heat slumps and could never recover. They lost the third frame by two points and the final by one.
This is why Jimmy Butler was such an important get, because he’s the guy that can make something happen or stop the bleeding when all else fails. His absence was severely felt tonight. The lead never evaporates like that and in that fashion if Jimmy is in the game.
Bam Adebayo can be that guy for the Miami Heat when he’s consistently aggressive, as he showed on Sunday that he is capable of, but wasn’t on Wednesday. Goran Dragic can do it sometimes too, however, his playing style and size is so dependent on drawing contact and fouls that it can be a bit volatile at times.
The Miami Heat didn’t have someone to get them a bucket when they needed it tonight at the most important times. That’s what cost them this game.
During the midst of the game, the news broke that the NBA season will be suspended until further notice due to the novel corona virus situation across the world. It shook the NBA and Twitter worlds all at the same time.
With the uncertainty surrounding the remainder of the season at the moment, it will be quite the story watching it all play out. We will continue to monitor the situation from a Miami Heat perspective. Until then, let’s keep our fingers crossed that this season isn’t gone by the wayside.