ASK IRA: Are the Heat not alone in the NBA’s season of misery?
Q: I think one word to use this season is perspective. Outside of Milwaukee and Boston there are plenty of other teams who had high expectations and way more talent than us, with average records. You take the Lakers, Mavericks, Clippers, Hawks and Warriors. All have arguably more talent but worse records. This year has been a struggle for many teams given injuries and overall boredom it seems with the season. Don’t you think we should judge this team once they make it into the postseason? Everyone keeps saying blow it up, but many of the teams with all these stars aren’t faring much better. – Brett, Key Largo.
A: I agree that this is a season of misery across the league, save, say for Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Denver, Sacramento and maybe New York. The reality is that even after the loss to the Nets, the Heat awoke Sunday with the 10th-best record in the NBA. No, not where they might have wanted to be, but still ahead of 20 other teams. Twenty. It’s almost as if across the NBA this is a season of miserable, miserabler and miserablest. So, yes, for the Heat the postseason ultimately will define the season, with the hope that the postseason encompasses more than the play-in round.
Q: I think it’s time for Kyle Lowry to start again. – Roy, Miami.
A: But you can’t start Kyle Lowry until you know that he again can be an every-game player. You can’t start him Tuesday in Toronto only to give him the next night off in New York. That’s neither good for the Heat nor for Gabe Vincent. Erik Spoelstra has shown a willingness over the years to change his lineup and rotations at the start of the playoffs. But that also has been when there has been a week off before the start of the playoffs. If the Heat are in the play-in, it will be a quick turnaround to execute such changes of the game plan.
Q: What happened against the Nets? – Sammy.
A: The same thing that happened earlier this season in Dallas and in other lopsided losses. This team has not exactly shown the resolve to deal with the going when the going gets tough.
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