The Miami Heat were able to get back to .500 on Monday night after they beat the Phoenix Suns. That’s great news.
On the other hand though, the not-so-great news is the fact that they only managed to hover there for a day or so, as they would fall back to one game under .500 by losing to Toronto on Wednesday night.
Here’s the thing though. While falling back below even isn’t the greatest thing in the world, that defeat shouldn’t invoke the feelings that most of the seven defeats prior should.
The Miami Heat got beat on Wednesday. As stated—this is true.
However, they didn’t beat themselves. What that means is that in most of their losses prior to Wednesday night’s defeat, they had a huge part in them not being able to leave the game successful with a victory.
That was not the case Wednesday.
Solace Is Fact That Toronto Loss Not Quite Like Miami Heat’s First 7
Be that their poor execution on either side of the ball, they had huge hands in their losing fates during the first seven defeats. On offense, they often found themselves playing as individuals, not sticking to the Miami Heat’s core offensive principles, and making silly mistakes at the most inopportune times.
The players, themselves, lacked energy because the way they went about playing lacked energy. On defense, guys weren’t selling out, making rotations, or having their teammates’ backs.
Those are the things that you have to do to win at the highest level in any sport. And that’s how the Miami Heat, especially, have always gone about playing the game.
As far as Wednesday goes, well, that was something different altogether. The Miami Heat played the right way.
It was just a combination of poor execution and certain guys not having it.
The Miami Heat Were Beaten On Wednesday But They Didnt ‘Beat Themselves’
Now, it also doesn’t help that your starting center and second-best player in Bam Adebayo wasn’t playing, nor your third-best player in Tyler Herro.
However, you hate to use that, because the Raptors were without a couple of key guys too. However, the Miami Heat also lost their next best big in Dewayne Dedmon with about eight minutes to go in the game after he was taken out by an O.G. Anunoby knee to the tender regions.
That drastically impacted Miami, as it took their core experienced piece of size away and the guy that could have possibly secured one of those offensive boards to help the Miami Heat maintain the momentum of their comeback attempt. He was not there and they didn’t, so that is what it is at this point.
However and again, Miami Heat fans, supporters, and faithful can take solace in this fact. The Miami Heat’s eighth defeat was not like their first seven and that means all the difference in the world.
They were defeated by Toronto, mostly, by circumstance, not because they were a, flat-out, poor team on that night.