If the Miami Heat want to shut down the disrespect from across the league, they need to improve from the 14-28 record they posted last season in clutch games. If they even improve slightly in those games, the Heat could emerge as a 40-plus win team this season. That should be enough to make them a top-6 team in the Eastern Conference.
A clutch game is when the score is five points or less with five minutes remaining in the contest. The Heat had plenty of those last season and lost the majority of them. Some of it was bad luck, but, especially once Jimmy Butler was checked out, the Heat had difficulty closing out games.
Both Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo struggled in taking the reins after Jimmy, and that was clearly evident with their lackluster record in clutch games. While the hope is that they almost have to be better this season, they could face some of those same issues.
That's because the question of who the Heat's closer will be this season has yet to be answered.
Who will be the closer for the Heat?
After how much he admittedly struggled in the role last season, there's no guarantee he'll be able to thrive as the team's closer this year. I'm sure he learned on the job last season, after being forced into the role, but it's still a bit of an unknown to predict how he'll respond.
In a perfect world, the role of the Heat's closer would be shared between Herro, Bam Adebayo, and perhaps even Norman Powell. But there's no guarantee that will work either.
Clutch situations automatically become much more difficult to manage because it's often when the game slows down. In many ways, it's when star players rise up and do what it takes to carry their respective teams over the finish line. Because the Heat lacks a traditional star on its roster, clutch situations are that much more difficult for them.
Without Jimmy for the majority of last season, it's one of the biggest reasons why they struggled in those situations.
The Heat will certainly have to prove this season will be different.
If they're going to be improved this season, you'd imagine much of that is likely going to start in clutch situations. It may only be considered to be the last five minutes of a close contest, but those situations could go a long way in determining whether the Heat will actually be better than last season or not.
In the process, it will also help them shut down the negative narrative that is quickly building around this season.