Heat Culture won’t take you further – if your team can’t make shots.
Play-in spot, despite historically poor performance – and little hope for improvement until the playoffs.
I have to say, when what you’re watching doesn’t look great, it’s not that easy to write a column that focuses on the positives.
Although, the game against the Celtics last Friday was quite exciting until the end of the third quarter. But if your two go-to guys aren’t delivering consistently, and your fourth and fifth options are just seventh- or eighth-man rotation players, it’s tough to hold onto even a short lead in the third quarter and carry it across the finish line.
Thursday, 03/13 – 4 PM landing in Frankfurt-Miami.
Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time in L.A. and have been surrounded by amazing historic moments.
Luka comes to L.A., immediately fits in as if he always wanted to be a Laker. The Lakers keep winning game after game.
Then, my preparation for Miami. Honestly, I was really looking forward to the Heat vs. Celtics game. The Heat had lost four straight games by that point – which can happen, especially when you’ve just lost your franchise player and need to regroup after all the back-and-forth. The question I asked myself: Can this roster still embody the “Heat Culture”? And how does this team stack up against a top team like the Celtics?
At first glance, the Heat don’t look that bad.
Bam Adebayo: USA gold medalist, 3× All-Star, Heat franchise player
Tyler Herro: 1× All-Star, 3-Point Contest winner
Andrew Wiggins: 2014 1st Pick, Rookie of the Year, 1× All-Star
But then it gets thin really quickly: Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, Terry Rozier.
The question that remains for me: What exactly is the “Heat Culture”? Is it a playing system? Is it always going the extra mile where others give up? Is it a mindset, a unique perspective?
I assume it’s a mix of all these things. But don’t other franchises have that too? If we believe Jimmy Butler’s words about the Golden State Warriors, it doesn’t seem any different there. Or maybe even better? Because with all the pressure in Miami to rely on “Heat Culture” to win, perhaps the team is losing the joy of playing.
Because in the end, isn’t it about having fun with what you do in order to perform? And that’s what I’ve observed in Miami. Not only is the joy of playing missing, but also self-belief.
Even when they go on a run and briefly take the lead, you can already feel the fear creeping in that the lead won’t last long.
On top of that, I don’t see a player in the Heat team right now who leads the team and gives it an identity. Someone who steps up, talks to the team, and takes responsibility. Everyone had hoped Bam could be that guy – we’ve seen glimpses of it – but then he went quiet again.
In a moment like this, when the Heat are struggling, you have to step up and lift your team. I’m actually quite surprised, in a very positive way, by Erik Spoelstra – by how much he stands up for his team and believes in his guys. Of course, you could say that’s his job.
But it really comes from the heart. I’ve covered many Heat games in the past. When things were going well, he was often short-spoken in press conferences and seemed rather unemotional.
Now, he makes it a point to communicate how much he believes in his team – and that if they can’t hold onto a third-quarter lead in the fourth, that’s on him for not coaching them well enough in those moments.
I’ll be back in Miami in three days for the Heat vs. Houston Rockets game, and I’m curious to see what has changed by then – or if the Heat are facing an even bigger mess.
With their recent losses, the Heat are now on their worst losing streak under Erik Spoelstra’s, with eight consecutive losses.
By Friday, they’ll face the Pistons and then the Rockets. Let’s see if I’ll be reporting a W or if it turns into a 10-game losing streak.
On a more positive note, I also got to watch the Boston Celtics. Jaylen Brown was out due to illness, and even though Kristaps Porziņģis is still not back, the Celtics are deep enough to compensate for it.
Not least thanks to an outstanding performance by Al Horford, who, at nearly 39 years old, still does whatever the team needs on both ends of the floor. Seems like he shops at the same supplement store as LeBron James.
Where the Heat are lacking joy in their game, the Celtics have an extra dose of it. Watching them is just fun. I think the hunger is huge to go for back-to-back titles – you can see that fire and ambition in their eyes.
The team has a great mix of different personalities that just make it all come together. Post-game, I was in the locker room and had the chance to talk to Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Jayson Tatum. Jrue Holiday had an outstanding game against the Heat. In the first four minutes, he dropped 10 points with back-to-back threes. He finished with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists – just behind Jayson Tatum, who had 28 points.
I asked Derrick White and Jayson Tatum about the atmosphere in the arena. Even though Miami and Boston aren’t very close, and it’s very unusual in the NBA for fans to travel with their team, the arena was packed with Celtics fans.
Of course, some of them probably live in Miami. But that’s exactly what Jayson Tatum emphasized – what a privilege it is to play for the Boston Celtics and to have fans that actually travel with the team:
“Yeah. Something I realized since I was a rookie. Something I don’t take for granted. It’s an honor to wear this uniform and the pride that comes with that. How many fans we have that travel to every city we go to. It’s special. Let’s go Celtics. In away arenas, regular season, preseason, playoff games. That’s what’s special about being a Boston Celtic.”
Derrick White shared a similar statement:
“Our fans are the best. They always travel with us and it’s always a great feeling when you’re on the road and you hear ‘Let’s Go Celtics’ and just feel the support. We make a big shot, you hear the crowd cheering, it’s awesome. We’re extremely grateful to be able to play for the Celtics because of the fans.”
I find it really interesting how Derrick, compared to Jayson, speaks in the “we” form. He has such a great aura, always keeping the team in focus, much like Jrue Holiday or Al Horford. If you present yourself as a united team, strengthen each other where the other has weaknesses, and contribute your strengths to cover all areas, how Boston does. It will be tough to beat the Celtics in a seven-game series.
With Jaylen Brown being named Finals MVP and all the media talk around it, I was curious to see how he and Jayson are handling this topic this season. Who is the best player on the team? This kind of thing can shake up team chemistry.
So far, I don’t see that happening with these two. And if the Celtics stay healthy as a unit, I see them going all the way for the back-to-back title.
Until the next game in Miami,
Yours, Flight Girl
