NBA Miami Heat

Miami Heat Finally Showing Effort, But Not Soon Enough

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By @blackirishpr

Goran Dragic

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries happen every day in the NBA and teams have to dust themselves off and deal with it. However, that has not really been a case that always resonates with the Miami Heat. Although they have said the opposite, the team’s actions have not matched their talk. If it actually did, they would not have blown so many winnable games on lack of energy alone.

Of course there were individual exceptions like the Hassan Whiteside triple-double, the Henry Walker and Tyler Johnson games and Chris Andersen stepping up with a career-high 18 points and season-high 14 rebounds after not being expected to play last night. All-out efforts have been scarce though.

The Heat often start out nonchalant then try to turn it on, or they come out with pinpoint focus and blow the game in the third quarter. Wednesday night felt like it would be a repeat of the latter, after they casually blew a lead that they built through fast-breaks, attacking the basket and no turnovers 23 minutes into the game.

The Heat were pretty good against the Brooklyn Nets, despite a few stale moments. Still, that did not stop Dwyane Wade from saying, “we didn’t play a great game, but we did enough.”

Beggars can’t be choosers at this point of the season once the effort is being given every night — not when the Heat are in desperation mode in an attempt to merely be a first-round sacrifice against the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers. Yet, that dissatisfaction from Wade is what fans have been waiting to hear the entire year.

Too bad they settled so early for mediocrity and excuses, because they might not be in such a dire situation if they had acted differently from the start.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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