Hopes were high for the Miami Heat to start this season. They still kind of are. They finished last year on a 31-10 tear, and team president Pat Riley invested a bunch of money in sustaining and building on top of that scintillating core.
Which is why the Heat’s 2-3 start to the regular season is so troubling. Sure, two of the three teams they lost to are the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics. And yes, five games is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But they don’t have a discernible identity right now; they rank in both the bottom 15 of points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com.
Their solution? An early-season team meeting, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman:
“Every season is different,” guard Goran Dragic said. “Every season, it’s not like we expected to have immediately that chemistry like we finished the season.”
So the players hashed it out in real and raw terms.
“We had our discussions this morning,” forward James Johnson said. “We aired it out this morning. A lot of people took heat. I think it was the best thing for us to do, even more important than film. That’s what this culture is about, that’s what we’re about — staring guys in the eyes, telling guys the truth and that’s how you show you really love somebody.”
Although five games, again, isn’t much, the Heat are smart to try nipping their chemical issues in the bud now. They know better than anyone how important these early-season games can be—how detrimental these slow-to-bad starts can become. They missed out on a playoff berth last season because they couldn’t get their act together sooner. They cannot afford for that to happen again, not after Riley gave four-year deals to Dion Waiters, James Johnson and newcomer Kelly Olynyk.
Fortunately for the Heat, aside from their apparent communication issues, they have one clear problem they’re able to identify as a symptom of their malaise: Hassan Whiteside’s absence. He continues to nurse a knee injury and should help both their pick-and-roll game and general defense upon return.
Still, depth is part of their supposed charm. Losing games they deem winnable at home cannot be excused because they’re missing one fringe All-Star. We’ll have to see whether airing out their thoughtz and feelz over the weekend leads to more success in the coming games.
