{"id":707434,"date":"2026-04-10T13:48:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707434\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:48:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:48:45","slug":"a-lost-miami-heat-season-because-of-13-losses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707434\/","title":{"rendered":"A lost Miami Heat season because of 13 losses"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are bad matchups in basketball.<\/p>\n

And then there are brutal realities.<\/p>\n

When so many of the teams above you in the standings in the same conference are so unbeatable for you….. it’s time for some serious self-evaluation.<\/p>\n

That was the case this season for the Miami Heat, which will see its regular season mercifully end Sunday — after Friday’s game in Washington against the tanking Wizards and Sunday’s home finale against Atlanta, one of the squads that surged ahead of the Heat this season. Then there will be a play-in tournament road game either Tuesday or Wednesday, but we can already predict how that will go. It’s a likely loss, because right now the Heat are reeling.<\/p>\n

It probably won’t be against the Orlando Magic and it definitely won’t be against the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors — and if it was, it would be an absolutely certain loss, because the Heat have lost all 13 games against those teams this season. Yes, 13. 0-13. Oh for everything. Oh for everything, when Miami somehow is still over .500 overall; 41-26 against the rest of the NBA. And most of the games against two of those teams, Boston and Toronto, haven’t even been especially close. <\/p>\n

Miami Heat: 0-13 vs. Boston, Orlando, Toronto<\/p>\n

Average margin of defeat<\/p>\n

Boston: -9.8
Orlando: -5.4
Toronto: -17.8<\/p>\n

I said on @5OTF_<\/a> more than a month ago that the Heat would finish the season without a single win against any of them.<\/p>\n

Here we are.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Five Reasons Sports \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc8\u26be\ufe0f\ud83c\udfd2\u26bd\ufe0f (@5ReasonsSports) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

So what’s been the problem? <\/p>\n

It hasn’t been the same against each, and that speaks to how far the Heat really are. <\/p>\n

And it should force some major changes this summer, of many sorts. <\/p>\n

\"Celtics<\/p>\n

Apr 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) speak after the game at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Against the Celtics, the issue has been execution. Miami simply doesn’t do it as well as the Celtics. Miami has hung in at times, even had some good quarters, but then Boston starts to spread them out and get the ball to its shooters, and the Heat are left scrambling. <\/p>\n

The last meeting was a little different, in that the Celtics scorched the Heat for 51 in the first, and then Miami shot its way back into striking distance, before fading. The Heat will never be able to keep up with a team like this when its spacing and shooting is at maximum efficiency — because even if it has a rare blistering night of its own from deep, it can’t keep up with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s ability to get easy ones in the paint. <\/p>\n

And remember, this was supposed to be a gap year for Boston, until Tatum returned — which wasn’t even guaranteed. The Celtics handled the Heat without him three times. <\/p>\n

\"Norm<\/p>\n

Mar 14, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) drives to the basket as Orlando Magic forward Noah Penda (93) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Heat have faced the Magic more times, the shared state residents aligned like close cousins. They opened the preseason against each other in Puerto Rico, they opened the regular season against each other in Orlando, they opened the NBA Cup elimination tournament against each other, also in Orlando. Including the preseason, the Heat have lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost. But even if you only count the five regular season defeats, there’s a troubling trend. <\/p>\n

Both teams have been without key players in every matchup; but every time, the Heat tend to hang around, until they just can’t hang with Orlando’s overall height. <\/p>\n

This manifested itself in many ways, notably Wendell Carter Jr’s offensive rebounding exhibition in the regular season opener, which was a sign of things to come, and wasted an otherwise promising Heat season-opening performance. The Heat showcased their new fast-flowing offense in that contest, and while that propelled Miami to a 14-7 start, pace proved not to be enough as the season progressed, as the Heat wore down in games and over weeks as they were outsized at virtually every spot, nightly. <\/p>\n

\"Davion<\/p>\n

Apr 9, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) vies for a loose ball against Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Then there was the Raptors’ matchup, which was most lopsided of all (four losses by a total of 73 points, none of the games close, against a team that won just 30 games last season, not the two at home nor on the road). And that’s where the Heat really need to look in the mirror and reach up. <\/p>\n

They won’t reach as high as the Raptors, for sure.<\/p>\n

Toronto’s advantages in athleticism and length were clearly apparent in every encounter, and that prevented the Heat from ever getting into comfortable offense. Lanes were clogged, shots were blocked, games were lost. <\/p>\n

Four of them.<\/p>\n

Thirteen in all. <\/p>\n

Against just three teams.<\/p>\n

And it will make for a long, hard five months, as the Heat need to do more than retool to be relevant again in their own conference. They lost 13, but they weren’t unlucky. They were unworthy. <\/p>\n