Miami Heat: 3 biggest disappointments from the 2018-19 NBA season
By Simon Smith
3. Woeful 3-9 record in February
The Heat entered the month of February with a 24-25 record, placing them seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. By the end of the month, they found themselves on the outside looking in, placing 10th in the standings with a 27-34 record.
At such a crucial part of the season, going 3-9 for the month was ultimately too much for the Heat to overcome. Granted, part of their 12 games for the month included a highly challenging five-game, West coast road trip. However, it also included losing four of their five games at home, with the sole victory for the month at AmericanAirlines Arena coming after Dwyane Wade’s miraculous buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Golden State Warriors.
Among the home losses included a back-to-back stretch against the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns. In being run off the floor 119-96, the Heat gave up 66 points to the Pistons’ bench, which included 10 triples. In fact, the Heat’s 126.6 defensive rating represented the worst return for the season.
Deplorable 119-96 Heat home loss to Detroit. Miami loses fifth straight at home, falls to 26-32 overall and slips two games behind Pistons, who are in command of tiebreaker with Miami.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) February 24, 2019
As for the Suns loss, this was simply one of the worst of the season, considering Phoenix won just seven road games for the entirety of 2018-19, and finished the year with a 19-63 record.
In keeping with the trend of the entire season, the difference in offensive rating in the Heat’s wins and losses for the month was profound:
Heat offensive rating for February:
- Wins: 119.1
- Losses: 104.3
Overall, in finishing 23rd in offensive rating, 22nd in defensive rating and dead last with 16.0 turnovers per game for the month, it’s little wonder the Heat dropped nine of their 12 games in February.