The Miami heat might be the third-best team in the Eastern Conference, but head coach Erik Spoelstra is not impressed with their performances on the road.

Spoelstra called the Heat a “mediocre” team when they play away from AmericanAirlines Arena.

Actually, Spoelstra would like to amend that statement.

The Heat are an NBA-best 17-1 at home, but they are merely a .500 team on the road. They average almost ten fewer points per game while also conceding nearly five more points per game on the road than they do at home, although most of their home-road splits are fairly similar.

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Naturally, Miami are preparing to embark on a trip of five road contests in their next six games, a pivotal stretch that could swing the balance of their standing in the East.

The most evident issue is the lack of team defense. The Heat went 11-4 in December, but they also ranked 22nd in the NBA in terms of defensive rating last month, per Andre Fernandez of The Athletic. It is harder to win on the road when you are more unorganized on the defensive end, particularly in tight games when crowd noise can play a role.

Then again, the Heat were not in “tight” games in their last two road matchups by any stretch of the imagination. Miami were soundly defeated by the Washington Wizards on Dec. 30 before eating a 20-point loss against the Orlando Magic last Friday. In fact, their three road losses in December came by a combined 54 points.

Erik Spoelstra speaks the truth: the Heat have not performed well on the road. Of course, they have a chance to change that narrative with this next stretch of games.