The Miami Heat are infamously poor when it comes to starting games. That’s especially the case this season or perhaps since this is the most recent, it just seems that way.
Either way though, the problem was in full effect again on Friday. To a team in Charlotte that they had already allowed to offensively go nuclear earlier in the season and specifically Malik Monk, they allowed the same again on Friday and again, specifically Malik Monk.
Monk must have something personal with the Miami Heat, for some reason, as he always seems to torch them when given the opportunity. Though he just started playing really decent minutes this season for Charlotte, he did so in limited opportunities prior to this season but now, he’s practically been their best player when they face the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat were downed by Charlotte again on Friday and by their own faults.
Now, you have to give some of the blame to the Miami Heat’s poor first half defense. As Coach Ron Rothstein pointed out in the postgame with Jason Jackson, the Miami Heat can’t play 24 minutes and expect to win games, it takes 48.
They played the second half like they wanted to win, from a defensive perspective but by that time, it was too late. Then there was another issue that comes up from time to time.
Well, it isn’t so much of an issue as it is a a curiosity. Why isn’t Bam Adebayo as aggressive all the time as he was in the fourth quarter, Thursday night’s game, and against Brooklyn earlier in the season?
When Bam Adebayo plays this way, the Miami Heat become exponentially tougher to beat. Heck, he was the catalyst for what was almost one of the best comebacks of the year.
This is when he teases you. You see what he can do when he just says “darn it all” and gets his.
This is what is needed from him on a nightly basis. The Miami Heat have reserves coming, so there’s that.
Either way, if they don’t give a better complete effort on a nightly basis, none of that will matter.