ASK IRA: Do the Miami Heat still have fight left in them?
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Q: Brutal, just brutal. They just gave the game away at the end. Awful loss. I’m sick to my stomach. – Anthony.
A: And can appreciate the immediate reaction. It was all there, a berth in the NBA Finals. And Saturday night’s loss to the Celtics arguably was the definition of the words gut wrenching. I get that. But when you can exhale, if that is possible, also look at the perseverance it took to get to that moment of Derrick White’s putback. The Heat easily could have quit down nine with 3:04 to play. But they didn’t. They could have slumped their shoulders when Duncan Robinson’s two wide-open 3-point attempts were off. Heck, they could have, and Jimmy Butler could have, mailed it in when it became clear that Jimmy was not at the top of his game. Look, I know this is hard to digest, but what the Heat showed is that they have the fortitude to rise to moments, even if the ultimate moment proves crushing. The loss hurts. But the effort matters. They played like they cared. To the final breath. And then the ball bounced the wrong way. It is not a loss that deserves condemnation. Actually, the opposite.
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Q: Ira, this is not the history anyone wants to make. – Anders.
A: So . . . don’t make it? This also is the most upsidedown of series when it comes to the decided underdog winning the first two games on the road and then going up 3-0. Look, going into the series it would not have been shocking if anyone proffered that the Celtics could take four in a row from the Heat. And that ultimately might be the outcome. Still, this is not baseball, where it’s three strikes and you’re out. Here you get four swings and possible misses. So the Heat are still at the plate, hacking away, essentially needing to go deep often enough to keep themselves away from an ignominious record. That said, it doesn’t turn it into an ignominious season or ignominious playoff run if they come up short Monday, not after the grit showed until the final tick on Saturday night. But it assuredly will sting.
Q: Ira, don’t you think Bam Adebayo was very hesitant with the ball? Being there., I saw missed opportunities because of his passive offensive game. What did you see? – Brian, Miami.
A: The same as you. These past few efforts by Bam Adebayo have not been good enough. He is not expected to be a leading man. But there has to be more in support. Even with Jimmy Butler off with his shots, he made a difference at the finish. By contrast, Bam scored two points in playing all 12 fourth-quarter minutes. Not good enough.
