Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra assesses this season and the direction the team is headed
From 2020-23, the Miami Heat were among the "It" teams in the NBA.
During that span, they made the Finals twice and lost in the Eastern Conference finals another season. The organization was only supposed to reach another level but it never happened.
This season ended with a disappointing loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the Play-In Tournament. It marked the first time they missed the playoffs since 2018-19. On Thursday, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the state of the team at exit interviews.
"We don't like this feeling at all, being off in the middle of April," Spoelstra said. "I also don't think you should discredit the statement, 'Oh you made the playoffs the last six years.' That's the not ultimate goal, obviously."
The season began with high expectations once they signed Norman Powell Jr., last summer. He was supposed to pair with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, giving them a trio that would allow to compete with the NBA's top teams.
Injuries kept that from ever materializing because they have a limited numbers of games together. It seemed they were unable to develop chemistry. Despite a seven-game winning streak in mid-March when they were healthy, things went astray with Powell in and out of the lineup with injuries the remainder of the season.
Still, Spoelstra felt the season could have ended better.
“I truly feel there could have been 4 to 6 more wins on the table for us, but that did not happen," Spoelstra said. "But you are what your record is.”
The question now is if the Heat continue with the core of Adebayo, Powell and Herro or decide against "running it back," a term they have used to expressed confidence in the current roster.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com