The Miami Heat are sitting at 22-20 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
In a season that’s had its ups and downs, Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has a positive outlook on the rest of his team’s season.
“I think we have an opportunity for this to really start to click,” Spoelstra told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “We’re all a little bit disappointed in where our standing and where our record is right now. But we have an opportunity with the second half of the season to make amends for that.”
The Heat will start their second half of the season on the road against the Golden State Warriors and Jimmy Butler on January 19.
The game against the Warriors is the start of a five-game road stretch for the Heat. They will have an opportunity to take the lead over the Orlando Magic in the Southeast Division.
For the Heat, finding success means putting together consecutive good performances. The Heat have some of the best wins in the NBA, including against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 17.
However, they also have some of the worst losses, including a 24-point drubbing against the now 10-33 Indiana Pacers on January 10.
“The thing about this team is we can beat anybody and we can lose to anybody,” Heat guard Norman Powell told Chiang. “It’s all about our mentality and our approach and being collective.”
The Miami Heat Have Been Dealing With Injuries Throughout the Season
GettyTyler Herro has been one of the Miami Heat players who has missed time due to injury this season.
A large reason the Miami Heat have been unable to maintain consistency is that injuries have led to constant changes in the team’s rotation.
Heat guard Tyler Herro has missed a majority of the team’s season with multiple injuries. He’s set to miss the Heat’s five-game road trip with a rib contusion.
Heat center Bam Adebayo has also missed time with injuries this season. The Heat have used a multitude of starting lineups to offset the injuries.
Despite the inconsistent lineups and time missed to injury, Erik Spoelstra believes this upcoming road trip is a time for the Heat to build momentum for the rest of the season.
“As a coach, sometimes you have a gut feel for something,” Spoelstra told Anthony Chiang. “When we came back from that disappointing road trip, that’s when you felt a competitive will to commit to do whatever is necessary… It’s a great opportunity in front of us. We have a whole second half of the season to go. This should set up to be a lot of fun.”
The Miami Heat Needs to Lean on its Defense in the Second Half of the Season
The Miami Heat leaned on their fast-paced offense at the start of the season, but as the season has progressed, defense has been the team’s key to winning games.
The Heat are seventh in the NBA in defensive rating, led by defensive anchor Bam Adebayo.
“He (Erik Spoelstra) cares about how we give effort on defense,” Adebayo told Anthony Chiang. “And when you buy in, you get gratifying wins like this. This is not because we played a certain game. It’s really because we bought into what he was preaching.”
Spoelstra-led Heat teams have always been defensively minded during his time in Miami. Even with a unique offensive approach, defense should be the team’s No. 1 priority.
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