 |
| Source |
The demeanor of the Miami Heat during their 91-72 loss to the Boston Celtics was dreadful. It seemed as if no one cared about the score, the game was just getting closer to ending so the Heat could get out of the Garden. While the Heat weren’t at all out of this game in the first half, everything went downhill from the third quarter on. The Miami Heat settling for bad shots and winning has been documented here before. Certainly those same shots didn’t go down yesterday, but the way the Miami Heat responded to their mediocre play is what’s scary.
Totally nonchalant, “we can turn it on,” kind of attitude stuck out. Erik Spoelstra, Heat coach, has to see this and work tirelessly to change it. The talent of the Miami Heat is undeniable. That’s not the problem. The problem IS the mindset and lack of fight within this team.
When the Miami Heat get down, when Spoelstra calls a timeout or two and rallies the troops, the Heat players themselves have to apply a different energy to the game. What happened yesterday was not anything different. When the Miami Heat began to let this game get away, they just hung their heads more and seemed to fold for the most part (Shane Battier being the exception).
The Miami Heat must stay positive despite challenges and always fight. Even when it looks near impossible, despite anything, who’s playing or who’s missing, whatever it may be, the Miami Heat must try! While that sounds obvious, at any level of basketball, the Miami Heat don’t appear to have that mentality.
The talent level of the Miami Heat is a blessing and weak point. While the talent being so high means they can do a lot quickly, almost turn the switch on, that’s not the way to win. If the Miami Heat won every game this way in the regular season, it’d be easy to see them crumble come playoff time. It’s easy for the Miami Heat to use their talent as an excuse for arrogance and lack of winning attitude. That’s something that needs to be thrown further out the window if the Miami Heat ever want to win an NBA championship.
The Miami Heat are a tremendous group of players. Nevertheless, basketball is as much of a physical game as it is mental. If the Miami Heat want to succeed, their mental approach to the game needs work. A Miami Heat team with the right attitude is a team that becomes that much harder to beat. It’s possible for them, but the Miami Heat need consistent hunger and inspiration to win it all.