Getty Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry reacts after a made basket during a game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Miami Heat moved to a season-high five games above the .500 mark on Tuesday night with a 98-95 win over the East-leading Boston Celtics. However, it was a bit of a rough night for starting point-man Kyle Lowry, who was benched during the fourth quarter in favor of backup Gabe Vincent.
Although he still logged a game-high eight assists in 29 minutes of action, Lowry scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting and 0-of-4 from three-point range. As a result, the Heat were outscored by double digits when he was actually on the floor.
Of course, Lowry struggling to shoot the ball or generate his own offense is nothing new. For the year, he’s shooting just 40.5% from the floor and 33.5% from deep. Meanwhile, Miami’s offense is scoring a ho-hum 110.7 points per 100 possessions when he plays.
Between those numbers and his bloated contract — Lowry will pull down a combined $58 million this season and next — some fans are growing impatient with the 2019 NBA champion. In acknowledgment of their discontent, The Basement Sports just put out a video edit shredding Lowry.
WARNING: The video embedded below contains language that some may find offensive.
Miami Heat PG Kyle Lowry Gets the ‘Whopper, Whopper’ Treatment
Coming to a trade deadline near you!
The Basement’s video, which has a few hundred thousand views as of this writing, is a take on Burger King’s “Whopper, Whopper” jingle — a viral hit in its own right. However, instead of selling burgers, the new version shreds Lowry for poor shooting, bad defense and, finally, his weight.
Of course, the latter issue came into focus as Lowry’s first season in South Beach unfolded. However, the fan chatter was later legitimized when team president Pat Riley commented on the baller’s fitness during his year-end presser, saying that his weight was something that needed to “be addressed.”
Added Riley: “The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping you can get the most out of a player… is that you have to be in world-class shape, you just have to be.”
Flash forward to now and these are the lyrics that the folks at The Basement conjured up to express their feelings about Lowry:
Whopper, Whopper, Whopper, Whopper. He’s a m************ flopper. Big o’l booty muffin topper who’s overpaid…
Large fries, milkshake, extra whip cream. Please hold the cherry ’cause that’s too healthy.
Play real D, don’t blame the referee. All you do is complain. Pat Riley… wake up today. Lowry… please let us trade. F*** you!
Yeesh.
Heat Insider Sounds Off on Lowry
For his latest Ask Ira column, the South Florida Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman answered a question about Lowry. Or, rather, he responded to a reader who wrote, simply, “Kyle Lowry is killing us.”
Wrote the longtime beat writer: “I wouldn’t go that far. But I would say that on too many recent nights, Kyle Lowry is not necessarily helping the Heat. Yes, he still is capable of the type of closing moment he offered Sunday against the Pelicans. But those have become few and far between.
“Yes, Kyle’s knee has been problematic. And he has been taking ample treatment. But this is a tenuous spot for the Heat again with an aging point guard.”