INDIANAPOLIS — This hasn’t been just about Friday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of this three-game trip, although that was as bad as it ever has gotten over the Heat’s 38 seasons, in allowing 149 points.
No, this now stands as a trend — at the worst of all possible times.
Over the past seven games, a stretch the Heat have gone 1-6, Erik Spoelstra’s team stands third worst in the NBA in defensive rating, with only the lottery-bound Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers worse, and only marginally better than bottom-feeders such as the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards.
Lately it has been D as in dreadful.
“We’ve put in the time. The guys have put in blood, sweat and tears to develop a top-four defense two weeks ago. And when we need it the most is when we’ve let it disappear,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat turning their attention to Sunday’s game against the Pacers. “And that’s just unacceptable at this time.”
As in a time when the Heat have only eight games remaining in their regular season, standing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference play-in race amid a slump that has followed a seven-game winning streak.
“That’s what’s disappointing,” Spoelstra said. “We have it in us, and when there’s the most pressure is when we need it the most right now. And I hope we’re taking it to heart.”
By again pairing Tyler Herro and Norman Powell in the starting lineup, the Heat have lost some of the opening defensive edge in place when Pelle Larsson was starting.
But this defensive drop-off has transcended the starting lineup.
“It’s not like we’re trying to fabricate something out of nothing,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat still ranked ninth overall in defensive rating for the season, ahead of playoff contenders such as the Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
“We have five months of great defensive habits and we’ve put in a lot of work to develop those habits and you develop pride in your defense,” Spoelstra said of what was. “It would be one thing if we had the 20th-ranked defense for months and I’m saying, ‘Hey, we have to defend.’ Literally two weeks ago, or less than, we had the fourth-ranked defense.”
But this is a revised mix with the roster’s return to health, including steals-oriented guard Dru Smith shuffled out of the mix.
As he continues to anchor the defense, center Bam Adebayo said it is difficult to ignore the chaos.
“In our losses we’ve given up 120,” Adebayo said. “So the recipe for that is obviously hold teams under 120, 115. And it’s going to take difficult times to do it. But at this point, our backs are against the wall.”
At times Friday night, there seemingly was a lethargy on the defensive end, trademark second efforts and defensive drive removed from the equation.
“We’ve been able to do it,” Spoelstra, as animated in his comments as in recent memory. “We didn’t have the 15th-ranked defense, we didn’t have the 20th-ranked defense. We had the fourth-ranked defense, and we’ve put in the sweat, equity to build that.
“We need it the most right now, and we need to rally around those habits that are there.”
Or were there.
“We’ve got to come out ready,” Powell said of what needs to follow.
Over 37-plus seasons, the Heat had never yielded as many as 149 points.
Then came Friday night at Rocket Arena.
“We’ve got to come out with better energy, better focus, a better disposition on the defensive end,” Herro said. “Not too sure how it happened, but it happened.”