The Eastern Conference will always be the lesser of the two NBA conferences as long as the West remains stacked, packed, and rife with the league's top talent. There is nothing different about this reality this season, either, and that should be an advantage to the Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t looked that way so far. In an East that's not nearly as strong as it has been, given that Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton are MIA due to significant injuries they are recovering from, the Heat are still only good enough for a play-in team. How can this be?
Granted, the Boston Celtics, being led by Jaylen Brown, have surprised; there's no doubt about it. The Toronto Raptors are having their best season in years, and the Detroit Pistons are in the No. 1 seed. But while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks struggle, the Heat have been unable to capitalize on it, which makes Erik Spoelstra's recent comments all the more glaring and justified.
Erik Spoelstra's admits Heat "we're not a toe-to-toe team," indicating finding other ways to win, or other players
The Heat currently reside in the seventh spot in the East, which, if the NBA season ended today, would once again see Miami grace the play-in tournament, with the chance of missing the playoffs altogether. The play-in tournament has become an all too familiar place for the Heat, and they’re on the same trajectory right now.
These days, the Heat no longer resemble the Heat teams that could get in as a low seed and then will their way to a Conference Finals, or beyond. No, not these Heat teams, and especially considering they are devoid of a superstar, it is more likely than not that Miami will not experience a deep playoff run until a significant roster upheaval takes place.
Spoelstra wasn't exactly calling for a complete gutting and restoration, necessarily, but he may have been insinuating that the current Heat roster isn't going to get it done, and he's absolutely right. Bam Adebayo is a solid player, and he's worthy of his captaincy because of his leadership. He is the team's best player, even if Norman Powell is actually the Heat's best player right now.
Miami has several solid pieces, and some good young players also, but none of what the Heat have is good enough to meet the NBA's best, and even better teams head-on, and that's the problem Spoelstra sees, and he spoke about it earlier this week.
"We're not a toe-to-toe team, per se," Spoelstra admitted. "But we can get teams uncomfortable. That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with the recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent...It's more about we look different when we're flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent."
Spoelstra, speaking of flying around and making things tough on other teams, has much to do with creating defensive chaos and forcing turnovers, among other things. Miami's talent level does not match up with the Pistons and Knicks in the East, or Thunder, Nuggets, and Rockets in the West. The Heat can only survive and remain competitive by outworking their opponents, not out-skilling them.
While Spoelstra didn't outright say it, the Heat do need major roster improvements, and there has been no shortage of trade rumors involving the Heat and big-time players this season. That said, the Heat have failed to land a big star since Jimmy Butler, so whether Pat Riley can make something like this happen again is a toss-up.
On a more positive note, Spoelstra has the Heat playing better of late, and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. With a four-game road trip starting Tuesday, Miami will look to continue playing better basketball. But, it's not just playing better basketball; for them, it’s about playing harder basketball.