Getty Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat Drives past RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks.
Thursday’s matchup will be a big one for the Miami Heat. They’ll be at Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on February 2. The two teams have been battling for playoff position for most of the season, with Miami sitting in sixth place, and New York two games behind in seventh.
Ahead of the marquee matchup, Heat guard Tyler Herro spoke to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson about Knicks star RJ Barrett. He discussed his relationship with Barrett, who was drafted 10 spots ahead of him back in 2019.
“Me and R.J. have the same trainer,” Herro told Jackson. “We work together in the summer. The internet and media have tried to make me and R.J. not like each other. We like each other. No beef in the air. Two competitive players. We’ve been playing against each other since high school. We’re just competitive players. We both want the best for each other. We [compete] against each other all summer.”
Throughout his career, Herro has lost just once to Barrett and Knicks over seven games.
The two average very similar numbers, with the Miami guard putting up 20.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, and his training partner averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Tyler Herro Calls Out Heat Teammates After Loss to Hornets
While Herro is excited to square off against his longtime friend, he was feeling quite different after the Heat dropped a winnable game to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
The January 29 matchup saw Miami kick away a 13-point second half lead to the lowly Hornets. After the loss, Herro called out his team’s effort, citing it as the reason Charlotte was able to play confidently.
“Being up 13, you know, we gotta find that killer instinct, where we can put our foot on the pedal and get that lead from 13 to 20, and then keep the lead,” Herro said via Bally Sports Sun: Heat. “We gave up the lead I think by turnovers, not getting back in transition, and just then not applying enough force on the defensive end, and they were getting whatever they wanted. That really started in the first half. They got whatever they wanted, easy buckets. Then because of some confidence and some rhythm they were able to hit the tough ones in the second half. It’s on us as a team, we just gotta be better with the focus and the energy that we play with.”
“We gave up the lead by (turning the ball over), not getting back in transition, and not applying enough force on the defensive end…”
Tyler Herro meets with the media following the loss to the Hornets.
Heat Likely To Be Sellers at Trade Deadline
Many expected the Miami Heat to have a stronger season after nearly making the NBA Finals last year. However, they’ve looked much different than that team, playing inconsistent basketball, and not looking like contenders.
In a January 31 article, Jackson hinted that the Heat may look to cut costs to avoid the luxury tax at the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline..