Q: All Heat games this year have been gut-wrenching. I do believe that opponents lick their chops when they are going to play the Heat. Because they know Miami will not blow them out and therefore they will have a chance to win. They know the Heat does not have that fourth-quarter shutdown defense anymore. They know that the Miami Heat will make mistakes and turn the ball over. They know they will get many second-chance points and get more points in the paint than the Heat, as well as make more 3-pointers. But they also know they just might lose, as is what happened to the Utah Jazz tonight. – Roland, Borrego Springs, Calif.
A: Honestly, it’s as if all Heat games should be taken in from a dentist’s chair, because it very much feels like pulling teeth, win or lose. Think about it, the Heat have played 70 games and 50 (50!) have been defined by the NBA as clutch games (games within five or fewer points at any point in the last five minutes). Allow that to marinate. They only have played 20 games this season that haven’t been clutch games. This isn’t a season, it’s a Stephen King novel. The Heat should have an in-house pharmacy at Miami-Dade Arena. And if not medication to calm the nerves, then novocaine to numb the discomfort.
Q: Bam Adebayo is back to second-team all defense with that play at the end against the Jazz.. A few more plays like that maybe he can climb back to first team. – Swann.
A: And yet we all can agree it never should have come down to that. There were way too many empty possessions prior to that moment.
Q: Ira, Some of the “bad” teams aren’t that far behind us in talent. We have one great player, one good player and one inconsistent player. The rest of our players have shown they aren’t anything special. Those “bad” teams like Orlando are generally more athletic than us.. Some of these teams have been adding lottery picks or high first round picks for a few years. Their talent is catching up to us. Rich, Plantation.
A: And that already is an issue. The Heat are not athletic. The competition is. And that makes it harder to win through precision. The slightest misstep, of which we have seen plenty this season, leaves the Heat at a decided deficit.
