After an 0-4 start, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat are now figuring everything out with a two-game win streak.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is satisfied and fully convinced that he and the Miami Heat are finally turning everything around after a rough start to the 2026-27 NBA season.
MIN
31.5
PTS
27.6
FG%
57.6%
REB
11.2
AS
4.6
For the Greek superstar, their 0-4 start gave them a chip on their shoulder to respond to critics and the outside noise.
“I feel like the first four games, it was a good feeling,” Giannis told reporters after their 145-125 NBA Cup opener win against the Indiana Pacers. “Obviously, we were over a kind of shock of how things were going, but it’s a good feeling because now you know that feeling, being down, being doubted, being criticized, and now that we’re winning. We have two in a row. We just got to keep on staying humble because this can flip immediately.
“Right now, we just got to stay in this mindset. Every possession is a dogfight. We have to fight every possession. We’re not as good as people say. We’re not as bad as people say. We just got to be ourselves against everybody, against the whole league, against the whole media, all this narrative. It’s us against them. We watched 300. You saw the shield that we had last game and this game. It’s a 300 mentality, man.”
Giannis, Heat now riding win streak after a brutal 0-4 start
Rumblings and chatter have emerged around the Miami Heat as they fell to an unexpected 0-4 record to begin their NBA season.
Throughout this stretch of losing, many have criticized the Heat for their lack of two-way cohesion. As their shots were not falling, defense was even more disappointing. And Bam Adebayo himself was subjected to tons of criticism for his passivity and lack of production to help the team win.
But now, the Heat are on the win column. After claiming their first win of the season last Wednesday in Atlanta against the Hawks, the Heat dominated the Pacers with an all-out effort.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a triple-double of 31 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. Adebayo dropped 27 points in an efficient 11-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds, while Klay Thompson caught fire with 25 points in seven three-pointers.
“I think we’re just playing basketball. The first couple of games, we wanted it so much, and we were just kind of tight. When the game wasn’t going our way, I feel like guys were not panicking, but just playing more uptight,” Giannis added.
At the end of the day, obviously, you get criticized. We’re doing our job, and we get paid a lot of money to do our job, which we understand. After you’re done with your job, it’s one of those jobs where you might get criticized for the way you perform. I always say that there are going to be times when people say you’re the worst, and there are going to be times when people say you’re the best. None of those things are true. You’re not as good as people say you are, and you’re not as bad as people say you are.
“You’re always in the middle. Just show up, do your job, and the next guy will do his job, and things will become easier for us.”
Giannis and the Heat will have their first real test on their upcoming West Coast trip, which will begin on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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