If there’s a team so far this season that has been playing inconsistently, it’s the Miami Heat. Their 7-9 record speaks for itself, as well as not winning more than two in a row, or having a losing streak longer than three games. They definitely have what it takes to win and bounce back from defeats, and it’s just a matter of playing at a high level continuously, in order for them to string a few wins together.
A perfect example of this is how they performed versus the Washington Wizards on Friday, where they played stifling defense and executed well on the offensive end, leading to a victory on the night. However, they were not able to sustain the momentum on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, losing in a blowout, which was their worst home loss since 2009.
James Johnson knows their opportunities, and he recently spoke about it, specifically playing like two different teams in their last two games. He is not giving any excuses, and admits the Heat played poorly, via Anthony Chiang of the Palm Beach Post. He then added that they competed without heart, which caused them to lose badly.
“It happens. We have to take it for what it was, not making any excuse for it,” Johnson said. “We played poorly. We didn’t have no heart that game and they exposed that. But, like I said, those kinds of games happen. We just can’t let ’em repeat or we can’t let ’em happen again.
“I don’t think we had time to really be emotional about it. No one in that locker is feeling sorry for ourselves or each other. Today was a grueling, dog-eat-dog practice. And it was full of no excuses.”
If there’s any silver lining for the Heat at this point, they still have 66 games left in the season, which gives them a lot of chances to win, and compete for a playoff spot. After only missing out on the postseason last year due to a tie-breaker, it should give them extra motivation to play harder, and not allow it to happen to them again.
Johnson’s comments definitely show that they are ready to start playing better and more consistently. It’s also a strong message to their fans that they are giving no excuses, and want their performances to speak for themselves. Despite not having a legitimate star on their roster, they have proven that they can win, and it can be expected that they will give it their all in their upcoming games.
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