The Miami Heat had the opportunity to tie their franchise record home-win streak on April 6, but they fell short against the Memphis Grizzlies, losing 97-82. With the loss, the Heat drifted further from the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls, now trailing by three games.
Things went bad for the Heat right from the start, scoring only 12 points in the first quarter of the game. By halftime, the Heat were down by 16 points, and the Grizzlies never gave them a chance to get back into the game.
"They just beat us," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. "Really, the tale was that first quarter. … The lack of concentration and focus in that first quarter, we couldn't make up for that."
LeBron James led Miami's offense against the Grizzlies, finishing with 21 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were right behind LeBron, putting up 20 and 19 points respectively.
Unfortunately for the Heat, their role players - with the exception of Joel Anthony and Terrel Harris - put up dismal performances, walking away with a combined 5 points.
Anthony hasn't been particularly impressive for the Heat this season, but he had one of his better games against the Grizzlies. Anthony was obviously on a mission to get his starting job back; putting up 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks (he went 3-3 from the field). Interestingly, Spoelstra failed to capitalize on Anthony's energy, using him for only 15 minutes.
The Heat's poor performance against the Grizzlies is completely inexcusable, and it really makes me wonder where the players are mentally. It wasn't as if the game had no meaning (considering the fact the "big three" would have made franchise history with two more home wins), yet, the team failed to show up.
With a month left in the 2011/12 NBA season; the Heat will have to dig down deep if they want to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Their next game will be against the Detroit Pistons on April 8.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Grizzlies snap Heat's 17-game home winning streak"
Player and game information from ESPN.com
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