Jimmy Butler on Heat’s home-court (dis)advantage, ‘I don’t think anybody’s scared to come in here’
MIAMI – Ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat appreciated they were on shaky ground at Kaseya Center, already with more home losses than any of the previous four seasons.
“It’s tough to find a singular trend, necessarily,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with Sunday the second game of a four-game homestand that opened with Friday night’s 111-88 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans “We just have not been good enough. We all know that. We’re all aware of it. We can’t go back and change the games that we’ve lost here.”
At 17-16 at home entering Sunday, the Heat already stand with more home losses in any season since they went 19-22 at home in 2018-19, when the building was known as AmericanAirlines Arena. That also was the last time the Heat went to the lottery.
Now, amid the home struggles, the lottery remains a reality again.
While Saturday’s loss by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks assured the Heat of no less than a berth in the play-in tournament, elimination in that round would knock the Heat out before the best-of-seven opening round of the playoffs and therefore deliver them again to the lottery (and, yes, they retain their own selection this June).
Unless the home cooking becomes more palatable, the chances of enduring success would appear minimal.
Last season, when the Heat went from the play-in round to the NBA Finals, they closed the regular season with a 27-14 home record, a record now beyond their reach this season.
“Home or away, we’ve got a job to do,” forward Jimmy Butler said, with Sunday one of eight remaining home games this season (also against the Warriors, Trail Blazers, Knicks, 76ers, Mavericks and a closing pair against the Raptors). “I don’t think anybody’s scared to come in here and play us. I don’t think anybody’s scared to play us on the road, either.
“Hopefully in coming games we figure it out, we put our heads down and get to work. Because we definitely got to start winning if we want to get where we want to be.”
Lately, the Heat have had nearly as much talent in street clothes on their bench, amid the constant parade of injury absences.
That, center Bam Adebayo said, can’t stand as an excuse.
“I feel like when we go out there and play with the right energy, it doesn’t matter who’s in or out,” he said. “We’ve shown that all season we can win with whatever lineup. We just need to hone in on the little things, the detail-oriented things.”
For Spoelstra, that is particularly essential at home.
“Certainly,” he said, “we would love to perform and show out better in front of our fans.”
Swider showcase
With Duncan Robinson dealing with a back issue, Cole Swider has entered the Heat picture more than any other time during this first season under a Heat two-way contract.
As a matter of perspective, the 6-foot-8 forward had five 3-pointers all season before converting four in Robinson’s absence on Friday night.
“It’s not an easy role,” Spoelstra said, “to come in there, to see, ‘All right, there’s been a bunch of missed shots. I have to come in there, I have to clean up, make the longest shot in this game.’ That’s not an easy deal. But he’s really worked at things, his player development.”
Swider, the 3-point specialist who went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022, has split his season between the Heat and the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce.
“And all the games in Sioux Falls have kept him in the same system,” Spoelstra said. “He’s really played extremely well there. So he’s earned these kind of opportunities, probably maybe even some more throughout the course of the season.”
March Madness
Amid his team’s uneven run, Spoelstra said he has taken the time to teach his two young sons the nuances of the NCAA Tournament.
“I spent the night trying to teach my sons what March Madness is all about,” he said, noting his connection to Gonzaga coach Mark Few, a fellow assistant coach with USA Basketball. “I always try to watch Mark Few and Gonzaga whenever I can.
“That whole one-and-done format, you have no idea what to expect, and probably more so now than ever.”
Berth clinched
Wth Saturday night’s 112-103 victory over the Cavaliers’ affiliate, the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce clinched a playoff berth for the second consecutive season.
Guard Alondes Williams, on a Heat two-way contract, had 13 points and 11 assists in the victory.