Miami Heat in big trouble? Butler and Spoelstra have their say after difficult start to season
The Miami Heat are struggling this season and want to bring their winning mentality back and re-emerge as title contenders.
The home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday (115-111) was the 15th for the Miami Heat this season, with the franchise being 10th in the Eastern Conference standings at 12-15.
They are nine games behind league leaders the Boston Celtics (21-6) and hold the last play-in tournament spot, ahead of the Chicago Bulls (11-15) and the Washington Wizards (11-16).
The Heat have now lost three of their last four and fell to 9-6 at home. Meanwhile, their biggest issue remains their performance on the road, as they have won only three of their 12 games away from home.
"At the end of the day, we've got to be honest with ourselves and everybody has to be better, one-through-however-many-people we've got on this roster," Jimmy Butler said following Saturday's loss, per NBA.com.
"Figure out a way to win these games, whether it be home, away, no matter what the opposing team's record is, no matter who we're playing."
Jimmy Butler returned to the lineup a few days ago after missing seven games with a knee injury. He had 25 points in an overtime win over the Celtics last week and went for 30 vs. the Spurs.
The All-Star forward once again showed how much his absence hurt the team and how valuable he is to the franchise.
Injuries and roster fluctuation the main problems for the Miami Heat this season
The injury to Jimmy Butler was one of the causes of the team's ups and downs this season. The team is also battling inconsistency, which has been worsened by roster shifts and a slew of injuries.
Despite performing well defensively and giving up 110.3 points per game, the team's offense is not up to par. The Heat rank third-to-last in scoring at just 108.6 points per game. They were also fourth-to-last in rebounds (41 ppg) and 20th in assists (23.8).
Head coach Erik Spoelstra is aware of the problems the Miami Heat are facing and is looking for solutions to help his team get back on track. Spoelstra acknowledges that if his players do not improve quickly, things will become more difficult and the team's playoff position will be jeopardized.
"That's part of the process of this league and sometimes going through some pain," Spoelstra said afterwards. "Hopefully, this pain will drive us to a higher level. We need to get to a better level collectively."
The Heat finished 1-2 on their three-game homestand and will now begin a four-game road trip, beginning Monday against the seventh-placed Indiana Pacers (14-13).
Aside from the Pacers, the team will play the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs before returning home to face the Bulls on Tuesday, December 20.
Overall, the Miami Heat must re-establish their winning mentality and play well as the season nears its midpoint.
This four-game road trip gives the franchise a great chance to build a winning streak that will boost their confidence and help them move up the table.
