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The Miami Heat's season has come to an end, after a brutal 4-0 sweep at the hands of the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Heat also found themselves on the wrong end of history, as the Cavaliers dismantled them in the series by 122 points, capped off by a 55-point beatdown in Game 4.
It was a roller coaster season for Miami. The team endured the Jimmy Butler saga before finally trading him away to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline. Since then, the Heat stayed alive in the playoff hunt, after beating the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks to secure a spot in the postseason.
Unfortunately, the Heat looked like they were just happy to be in the playoffs. In fact, the beatdown at the hands of Cleveland marks Miami's eight-game losing streak in the postseason in back-to-back first round exits, via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. For this piece, let's take a look at three Miami Heat most to blame for the historic 122-point sweep against the. Cavs.
Andrew Wiggins struggles in his first playoffs with the Miami Heat
At the trade deadline, one of the biggest prizes the Heat received in return for parting ways with Butler was former NBA champion Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, a one-time NBA All-Star, helped the Golden State Warriors extend their dynasty by winning the title in 2022. He was certainly expected to help fill the void left by Butler. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly do so against Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.
Wiggins struggled big time in his first postseason with Miami. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting only 37.2% from the field overall and 35% from beyond the arc. In fact, the former All-Star only shot 3-of-10 from the field in both Games 2 and 3. To make matters worse, he was also -70 in the entire first round sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers.
After a terrible playoff series with the Heat, there's no question that Wiggins ultimately disappointed several fans of the league. There was major pressure on his shoulders to help Miami pull off another Cinderella run in the postseason. Unfortunately, the All-Star forward failed to answer the call.
Tyler Herro's nightmare Game 4
Tyler Herro was expected to take on a bigger role for the Heat, after Butler's departure. Initially, Herro's postseason started out as promising, after exploding for 38 points in the Play-In Tournament against the Chicago Bulls before putting up 30 versus the Atlanta Hawks to clinch a playoff spot. Herro also put up a valiant 33-point effort in a Game 3 loss against Cleveland. However, his Game 4 outing was a totally different story.
Facing elimination, the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year had a long night. He only tallied four points, one rebound, and one assist in 31 minutes of action. Furthermore, he was a measly -44 in the elimination game. Herro struggled to get going offensively, shooting only 1-of-10 from the field overall, missing eight attempts from beyond the arc.
Although every elite player can have bad games once in a while, the miserable Game 4 outing should serve as a humbling experience for the Heat guard's blossoming career. It was still a relatively great season overall for Herro. However, his disappointing performance to end the Heat's campaign only proves that there's still plenty of groundwork to do.
Kel'el Ware's inexperience gets exploited by the Cleveland Cavaliers
For quite some time now, the Heat have endured seasons without a reliable frontcourt partner for five time All-Defensive Team big man Bam Adebayo. On most occasions, Erik Spoelstra decided to go with rookie Kel'el Ware. Drafted in the first round with the 15th overall pick by the Heat during the 2024 NBA Draft, Ware possesses the right size and skillset to play alongside Adebayo in anchoring Miami's frontcourt. However, he's still a young player, who's not yet ready to carry major responsibilities for the team.
Against an elite Cavaliers squad, bolstering a twin-tower combination of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Heat's frontcourt were ultimately exploited. On a lot of sequences, the Wine and Gold targeted Ware's defense. In addition to this, both Allen and Mobley leaned on their experience to be a step ahead of the Heat rookie, outhustling him as well for rebounds.
It's safe to say that Ware had a forgettable playoff debut. He put up 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting only 44.4% from the field and 27.3% from rainbow country. In fact, Spoelstra had to accept the harsh reality of Ware's inexperience, as the Heat head coach limited his rookie to 15 minutes of play in Game 4.
By now, the 7-foot-0 center probably realized that the playoffs are a different animal compared to the regular season. While it was a tough postseason outing, it's certainly a valuable learning experience that can contribute to his growth for the franchise.
