The Miami Heat have struggled a lot recently, dropping quite a few of there last 10 games or so. With that though, it really has us down in the dumps.
A lot of us have wondered if we are already toast. Some of us have even declared the season over, less than halfway through.
While it has been rough over the last few weeks, it really has me thinking and though I have fell prey to being a prisoner of the moment as well, is it really that bad? Are we overreacting, just a bit?
I would say that answer is yes and mainly from two perspectives. Let’s talk about it.
For starters, let’s start with the overarching point. That would be the record.
Currently at 12-17, they are only seven games behind the first place team in the conference and that’s with all of their misfortune recently. What that means is that there really isn’t a huge gap between where they are now, right on the outside of a play-in game and potentially being in first place.
The Miami Heat are struggling but we are overreacting, just a bit I’d say.
We didn’t say that was the realistic outcome or goal, but, perspective. To look at how far they are from the postseason in general, the lower play-in seeds have one and two less defeats than Miami.
That’s not so much about Miami as much as they haven’t played as many games, specifically when referencing the comparison of the three. Even deeper than that and by the old standards, they are only 1.5 games out of eight, where a Charlotte team that has also played one less game resides.
Basically, for all of the cataclysm that has occurred over the past few weeks, they aren’t out of it by a long shot and not that far at all from being a top seed.
To look at a more concentrated issue, that would be the potential trade market. You see a lot of remarks and thoughts that would have you to believe that the Miami Heat are several pieces away.
In fact and after thinking about it all, they are one more consistent rebounder away from being at least 16-13 right now and not 12-17. That record, by the way, would have them in a tie for the third seed.
The Miami Heat do need something, but not as much as some might think.
The Miami Heat don’t need a complete makeover or even a large scale one, as their issue isn’t throughout the game as much as it is closing it. On quite a few occasions this season, the very thing that has allowed the door to stay open for the other team was rebounding.
Whether that be the Heat playing good defense but not securing the board, thus allowing an easy stick back or allowing a team simply dominate them on the other side, while they barely make ends meet on their own glass. That’s what’s killed the Miami Heat.
Look at Golden State. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kent Bazemore secured multiple boards and subsequent scores that basically led to the run that eventually beat Miami. It’s really as simple as having a guy to clean that up.
Jimmy can close the door from a leadership, final moments, get a final bucket in the waning moments type of way. Bam is a rebounder and can close it from a defensive perspective.
They need to add one more piece in that middle to help them secure that board though and potentially even be a slight deterrence for easy baskets at the cup, but that’s all. They don’t need to bring in an All-Star or anything like that, though we wouldn’t turn it down either.
That’s all though. The Miami Heat aren’t as far out of it as a lot of folks would have you to think and they aren’t in dire need of as much as they would have you to think either.
Besides and as I continue to mention, we haven’t seen this full team or our top four guys in action for a consistent stretch of two weeks or better yet this season and until we see that, we can’t make an honest judgement.
This Miami Heat team has a lot of work to do and it won’t be easy. However, the situation isn’t as awful as it seems, as most would lead you to believe, and I do still believe it will get a lot better.