Getty Duncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat warms up prior to the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena on December 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find any complimentary things to say about the Miami Heat after watching them lose seven of their last eight games. Even more frustrating, knowing the Heat currently sit at the bottom Eastern Conference after coming within two games of winning the NBA Finals last season.
There are no more excuses the Heat can give amid their 7-14 start, and Heat starter Duncan Robinson opened up about the team’s “rough patch” on episode 4 of his podcast, The Long Shot.
“It’s obviously been such a unique year in so many ways,” says Robinson of the team’s slump this season. “It’s important to look at everything in context. First and foremost, one of the biggest challenges of this year has been getting everyone available and healthy.”
“With that being said, it’s also the reality that we’re in as a team right now,” Robinson continues. “I don’t wanna say ‘panic,’ but there has to be a heightened sense of urgency. And ya know, 10-game winning streaks don’t just happen in this league… it’s just gotta just be chip away, the chip away mindset.”
Duncan and Willie open up about the similarities and differences between the early season woes for the Heat & Mavs
“I think now, with what we’re at, we’re starting getting back to full strength which is really a huge step for us. Now, it becomes how we build our game going forward and start to develop some confidence and some grit.”
Robinson doesn’t want to just say, “Oh, we’ll be alright,” because that’s a “dangerous game to play,” he explains on The Long Shot. “The urgency has to be now.”
Heat Stars Bam Adebayo & Jimmy Butler Vented on the Heat’s Rough Start
GettyJimmy Butler (L) and Bam Adebayo (R) pinpoint a few culprits behind the Miami Heat’s losing streak this season.
Robinson isn’t alone in worrying about the team’s ability to come back from their current slump. “We let two slip away,” Adebayo said of the losses to the Hornets and Wizards. “So the locker room is disappointed. I feel like we have mental lapses or two-minute or three-minute stretches where the other team comes back into the game.”
Jimmy Butler remains hopeful that they can turn things around during this shortened 72-game season. The five-time All-Star expressed the need for patience, seemingly preaching to himself as much as to everyone else.
Jimmy Butler: “I think we’re just not making shots. When we’re not making shots it kinda gives us an excuse to go down there and not play defense I think that’s what it is.
Cause when we make shots we defend pretty well. I think we just gotta grow up in that sense.”
“We haven’t been playing good basketball,” Butler added. “When you don’t play good basketball, you lose. That’s why we’re 7-14.”
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra Desperately Needs to Shake Things Up
GettyErik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Five of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena.
Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra is not offering up excuses as to why the Heat can’t get a win, especially since the team is back to full strength after being ravaged by COVID-19.
“Look, everybody’s disappointed, everybody’s uncomfortable, we all, staff and players, we want to be better than what we showed,” said Spoelstra after the team’s loss to Washington.
Erik Spoelstra says, “Nobody is going to feel sorry for us.”
The Heat’s issue is no longer merely finding the right combination of players, Spoelstra has shuffled through 14 different starting lineups since the season started, it appears that problem is that Miami is missing a big man.
On February 1, the NBA Insider reporter for 5 Reasons Sports Network tweeted out some sobering, albeit not shocking news about the Heat’s current roster.
He tweeted, “The Heat never intended to go into the season with this roster. They had multiple bigs they wanted to sign but those players took larger deals elsewhere. They’re searching the trade market for a starting caliber 4. This team will look different after the deadline.”
According to Adam Clutch’s report, they’ve been trying this whole time to add a forward in order to avoid that embarrassment.
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Miami Heat Forward Nears ‘Panic’ Mode Amid Early Season Slump