The Heat got a reminder Friday, and it wasn’t a pleasant one.
Miami fell 149-128 to the Cavaliers, a lopsided result that quickly erased any momentum built earlier in the week.
Coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t sugarcoat it.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Spoelstra said. “We put in the time. The guys have put in blood, sweat, and tears to develop a top-four defense two weeks ago. When we need it the most is when we let it disappear. It’s unacceptable at this time.”
That says plenty. Miami had snapped its losing streak with a strong showing against Cleveland just days earlier, only to turn around and deliver one of its worst performances of the season in the rematch.
The drop-off stood out. This was a team that, not long ago, was climbing into a favorable spot in the Eastern Conference. The defense was trending up. The energy looked right.
Lately, not so much. Spoelstra had already been pushing for more consistency and urgency earlier this month. This performance only added to that concern.
The Heat are now left trying to regroup at a critical point in the season, with the play-in tournament looming and little margin for error.
The expectations haven’t changed. The performance, at least on Friday, didn’t match them.
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