Frustration rises for Miami Heat as losses pile up

By Neal Nachman
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Updated: January 1, 2015

Throughout the season, the Miami Heat have been understanding of their expected struggles.

They figured there would be difficult times. They expected stretches of inconsistency. Give it time, they’d often say.

After falling to five games below .500, those thoughts have vanished. Frustration has replaced hope as they approach the midway point of the season.

“We have to do something about it,” center Chris Bosh said. “We have to stop talking about it, talking to the (media) about the trends, about the frustration and all that bull.”

At 14-19, the Heat still hold the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference race for the postseason. The question is for how long. Things don’t get any easier in the upcoming weeks. Five of the next six games are against teams in playoff contention, including four on the road versus Western Conference powers.

It’s not exactly the ideal schedule for a team still trying to figure out what has gone wrong of late. The Heat have dropped seven of 10, with some of the losses coming against bottom-feeding teams.

“If I had that answer, then we wouldn’t be in this situation,” guard Dwyane Wade said. “Bad stretch.”

For the first time, the Heat are pointing fingers at every aspect of the game. In the past, it was either offensive spacing or defensive issues. Now, it’s both simultaneously.

Bosh vented his frustration after Wednesday’s 11-point loss to the Pacers. After a strong first half offensively, the Heat shot just 40 percent the remainder. Bosh said it was result of rushing the offense.

At one point, he said he would prefer a 24-second, shot-clock violation on every possession than being impatient.

“I don’t know what we do,” Bosh said. “I just don’t know. We do good things and then it’s like, `all right, let’s change it up and do something totally opposite.’ It’s stupid as (expletive). I really don’t get it.”

Inconsistency at point guard has contributed to the struggles. Mario Chalmers had his moments this season while Norris Cole is having the worst shooting season of his four-year career. They combined for eight turnovers in the Pacers loss.

“Right now, I can only critique myself,” Cole said. “I can play better. I feel like I need to play better on the offensive end especially … “We’re not playing at a very high level and our team needs us.”

Added coach Erik Spoelstra, “The turnovers, obviously, that didn’t help but we can’t pin it on the point guards.”

No, the issues run deep throughout the team. Defensive problems continue to exist as they have all season. Indiana made five straight shots to start its second-half run. A 36-point third quarter allowed the Pacers to erase an 11-point deficit in 10 minutes.

“No offense to the Pacers, but they don’t usually get 36 points in the quarter,” Bosh said. “Other teams are going at us because they know we can’t defend. Whether it’s us, I don’t know what it is. That’s something that we have to fix. It’s obvious I don’t know where our minds are at. It’s not like it’s a new trend. It’s been pretty much the whole season.”

The Heat have little time to reflect during the grind of the NBA season. After a day off, it’s back to work Friday in preparation for Saturday’s game at the Houston Rockets. One thing is certain: they are past the thought of improving in defeat.

“I’m out of the moral victory moments,” Wade said. “That’s over with it. It’s either win or lose at this point.”