MIAM – The Miami Heat lost to the New York Knicks Wednesday night in disappointing fashion as the team led for a good portion of the game until the second half where they fell off resulting in their two-game winning streak snapped. As the Heat looked to impress against the East, especially a team like the Knicks, star Jimmy Butler would touch on a certain aspect that has been holding back the team this season.
The common theme in post-game conferences Wednesday night was that the team has played poorly in the third quarter of each game, even in the two wins over the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons. Butler, who finished with 15 points, would point out that they have not played well during that frame this season, which he blames the starting lineup for.
“I don’t think we’ve had a good third quarter yet this season,” Butler said. “What we’re doing right now, I mean, it’s definitely on the starting unit. I don’t know what turned but we haven’t had a good third quarter yet.”
Heat’s Jimmy Butler believes mistakes are “easily correctable”
The Heat would look to improve after a brutal season opener against the Magic as they scored 18 in the third period which turned the game around. The same happened Wednesday against New York where the Heat played well in the first half and to start the third where they led by as most as 13, but the performance died down and let New York get back into it.
When Butler was asked if the play in the third period goes awry since the Heat’s starting lineup is still building chemistry since they didn’t play together last season, he would say to ClutchPoints that it’s “easily correctable” mistakes.
“It has nothing to do with last year,” Butler said. “Just didn’t guard nobody. We didn’t make some shots, turn the ball over a little bit. It’s basketball, easily correctable. But we going to have to do it because like I said we haven’t had a good third quarter yet.”
“I don’t think we made too many people shots difficult tonight, lazy on the defensive rebounding side of the ball,” Butler continued. “We talked about that so we got to correct that.”
Heat’s Terry Rozier on offense dictating defense
Looking at Heat guard Terry Rozier, he had an electric game in the win over Detroit, scoring 20, but struggled early on against the Knicks, scoring three points through the first three quarters on one for nine shooting. Though he would turn it around in the fourth and finished with 16, he would say to ClutchPoints that it was easy as shots not going in, but also mentioned to the media how they have to play better overall in the third.
“Think we wanted to take care of third quarter, you know, it’s been hurting us these first three games,” Rozier said. “Think we control it at the beginning, we didn’t stay with it. We didn’t do the things that that got us the league. And once they start hitting shots, start feeling themselves, and we couldn’t score, it’s tough to not score then get back on defense in and definitely not guard nobody, especially when they start feeling themselves. So it’s a little bit of both. But got to give them credit.”
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the team’s third quarter performance
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra also spoke about the performance from his team and liked how they started in the second half, but fell apart on both ends of the ball.
“I thought, you know, at the beginning of the third quarter, you know, we actually were more assertive, and it was a better start to that quarter,” Spoelstra said. “And then, you know, once they got in the middle part of that quarter, they pretty much took over from there. We had some missed shots, makeable shots, but we definitely didn’t defend well enough during those stretches to be able to hold the fort, hold the momentum.”
“They just kind of walked it back and then when they took the lead, you know, just the momentum, it shifted at that point,” Spoelstra continued. “So you do have to credit them. We also can be better in those areas, when it gets tough, just be able to hold the tide, get a couple stops, get the ball where it needs to go, and then now you go from there.”
At any rate, the Heat are now at 2-2 and travel to Mexico to take on the Washington Wizards Saturday.
