Latest Heat loss twists the dagger in already disastrous season

In another thrilling Miami Heat-Detroit Pistons showdown, it seemed as if Miami was going to find a way to finally snap its eight-game losing streak. Instead, Cade Cunningham hit a dagger 3-pointer off the glass over Bam Adebayo which resulted in a 116-113 loss Wednesday night at Kaseya Center.

This marks the Heat's ninth-straight loss, and with no sign of light appearing at the end of the tunnel, a lot of fans are now focusing on lottery positioning instead of possible play-in and playoff scenarios (including myself).

Cade Cunningham stole a much-needed Heat win with a bank shot at the buzzer.

When Cunningham got the ball with the clock running down, even with one of the best defenders in the world in Adebayo heavily contesting a shot from beyond the arc, you just knew that was going to find a way to go in.

Even if Miami doubled Cunningham and it ended up in the hands of Jalen Duren, I'm convinced that even he would have hit a game-winning shot one-legged Dirk Nowitzki style. This game has been a summary of the Heat's season, they just find a way to lose games.

Although this is another game in which the Heat blew a double-digit lead, I'm not even angry about it, given who they were playing and how more recent losses have been absolute beatdowns.

There were some shaky possessions towards the end, such as Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro's tough corner threes with a chance to extend the lead. But when the ball was in Herro's hands late, he made a lot of smart decisions, including one to tie the game.

Two, in particular, stand out. The first was a shot fake on Ausar Thompson that led to a mid-range jumper. The second was getting Duren on a switch and drawing a foul to tie the game at the line, instead of settling for a tough three.

Bam Adebayo also had a monster game and stuffed the stat sheet (30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists). Even with a quiet fourth quarter, he was a big reason why Miami was competitive in this game.

Simply put: This is one of the best games the Heat have played in quite some time. And it still resulted in a loss.

The players and coaching staff might have viewed this game as a possible turning point if they found a way to escape with a victory. Instead, this latest dagger just made the wound even bigger for the Heat in a disastrous season.