When the Miami Heat dealt fan favorite Goran Dragic to the Raptors as part of a sign-and-trade move to acquire Kyle Lowry, the objective was clear. Lowry was expected to help get the Heat back to Finals and competing for a championship, where they belong.
And while the six-time NBA All-Star contended with injuries and off-the-court issues throughout the regular season, the move clearly paid off through the first 82, as Miami entered postseason play with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
It has been a different story in the playoffs, though, as Lowry has struggled to produce at or even near the level the team had hoped. During the Heat’s Game 4 loss to the Sixers on Sunday, the baller scored just six points on 3-of-10 shooting (and 0-of-6 from distance) while committing four turnovers.
Consequently, fans and analysts alike have been hammering the veteran on social media for his total failure to impact games in a positive way.
Twitter Sounds off on Lowry’s Poor Postseason Run
As they have been throughout the postseason, the Twitter takes on Lowry’s performance continue to be less than kind. After consecutive poor performances — he dropped a goose egg in Game 3 — though, the negativity looks to be at an all-time high.
“Kyle Lowry…. dude,” tweeted one fan. “I thought he was coasting through regular season. He might be cooked lol”
“I will personally donate my next 2 paychecks to the organization if y’all bench Kyle Lowry the rest of the series @MiamiHEAT,” pleaded another discontented supporter.
“I ain’t ever like Kyle Lowry, he’s wayyyu too up and down for me and [his] lows are way to [sic] low to where he a non factor with way too many minutes,” opined a third tweeter. “Dunc needs Vic minutes and Tyler need Kyle minutes, 30 minutes 6pts ain’t enough, I’d put in Caleb Martin”
Sixers fans were inspired to pile on as well, with one of them tweeting the following in reference to Philly’s rumored pursuit of Lowry last season: “I thank God every day that we didn’t trade Tyrese Maxey for Kyle Lowry man… that would’ve ruined our franchise.”
Finally, ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks added, “The Kyle Lowry minutes right now on O are an absolute disaster. It’s borderline on unplayable.”
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Lowry Reaggravates Hamstring Injury
Many have chalked Lowry’s underperformance up to injuries and, unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to be getting healthy. As reported by ESPN’s Nick Friedell and others, Lowry re-injured his left hamstring during Game 4. He had previously missed four consecutive playoff games after hurting the hammy in Round 1 against the Hawks.
“We’ll see,” Lowry said of his status going forward. “Tough timing for a hamstring. I’ve never had a soft tissue [injury]. This goal is to be out there. So if you’re asking if I’m gonna try and play, yes, I’ll be trying to play Game 5.”
Through five playoff appearances, Lowry is averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per outing. He’s shooting just 29.7% from the field and 20.8% from three-point range.
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Everyone Is Roasting Heat Star for Woeful Playoff Performance