To start the 2025-26 season, the Miami Heat were superb. They were battling almost every possession, and they were always running in transition. Coach Erik Spoelstra's team has dipped since then, as they are now the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
They are still tied with the Orlando Magic at 20-17, but following the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Heat are not doing so well. Even Spoelstra was disappointed by the result, as he felt his players were not playing hard in the final stretch.
Spoelstra demands 100% effort throughout the game
It has been a rocky season for the Heat, which was supposed to be a promising campaign. They are still in the postseason picture, but they are firmly outside the contender status, like the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons.
To close the gap on those contenders, the Heat must do better with working hard. They have the talent, but they need to keep fighting so they can win games. Against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, it felt like the Heat gave up after being down 20+ points.
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Miami could have fought back and at least made the result respectable. However, that did not happen, as they lost by 28 points to the Timberwolves. The Heat should not be doing that, as they need to fight until the final buzzer.
"We showed less of a spirit on this one. The one Saturday, we had a spirit to fight until the end. That's what is most disappointing to me as the head coach. The last six minutes, it felt like we let it go," Spoelstra said after losing to the Timberwolves.
Much is said about the Heat's culture, and battling until the very end is part of that. They are not the type of team to give up, so they should be playing hard all the time.
Spoelstra has the right to be disappointed because he wants the team to be motivated, but to appear like they have something better to do is a bad look. Moving forward, the Heat need to perform better and play harder, so they can keep winning games.
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