Postgame Breakdown: Grizzlies 118, Heat 90

If you truly want an honest account of the Heat's embarrasing 118-90 loss to Memphis at AmericanAirlines Arena, it's as simple as this:

The Heat showed more heart, fight and accountability in the postgame locker room during the season's first real soul-searching moment than it did at almost any point on the court. The result was predictable. Not only was Miami beat up in its worst loss of the season, it was beat down.

This was total domination. Pick a stat. Any stat. And it was overwhelmingly owned by Memphis.

Rebounds? Memphis 49, Miami 26.

Fast-break points? Memphis 31, Miami 6

Points in the paint? Memphis 60, Miami 46.

One could go on, but by now you get the point. Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo provided the offense. Hasheem Thabeet provided the defense. And just about anyone in sneakers and a Grizzlies uniform offered at least one highlight dunk to stuff the Heat.

Now, it's gut-check time for Miami, which fell to 11-11 on the season and a frustrating 6-7 at home, having dropped four straight at AmericanAirlines Arena. 

D. WADE'S DOINGS: It was another painful night for Wade. Literally. He entered the game with a sore right wrist from Friday's loss to Dallas. Wade added a cut eye and a sore right knee to his troubles after he was hounded by the Grizzlies massive front line. His night ended well early, with the Grizzlies well ahead after the third quarter. He finished with 25 points on 11 of 23 shooting and also had four rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in 33 mostly frustrated minutes. When he wasn't barking at the officials, he was scoffing at blown opportunities and mistakes. Clearly, Wade's explosion and lift still aren't all the there. He was hung against the rim on a dunk attempt for the second time in as many games and struggled to finish in the lane.

TURNING POINT: The first 12 minutes told the story of just how long this night would be for the Heat. Memphis led 37-25 after scoring the most points of any team in the first quarter against the Heat this season. The Grizzlies also attempted 17 free throws in the first quarter. That set the tone for a long and painful night for the Heat. The Grizzlies simply didn't let up.

LOSING EDGE: Again, there's plenty from which to choose. But you can settle on the 31-6 edge Memphis had in fastbreak points. That was a showcase of the Grizzlies athleticism and the Heat's lack of effort to get back on defense. Instead, Heat players spent a bit too much time looking for fouls to be called.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: You had to wonder why coach Erik Spoelstra went out of his way to rationalize his decision to start Yakhouba Diawara of all people at small forward in place of the injured Quentin Richardson. Spoelstra said he didn't want to disrupt his bench rotation and wanted to keep Dorell Wright and Udonis Haslem in their natural roles. Yet, that decision was tossed to the wind in the second half, which Wright opened at small forward after a 14-point first half. You also had to scratch your head at the decision to keep Joel Anthony on the bench the entire first half against a team that simply pummeled the Heat in the paint. Anthony is Miami's best shot-blocker and had four in the first half in Friday's game against Dallas. Memphis scored 45 of its 62 first-half points either in the paint or at the free-throw line after driving into the lane. 

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Dorell Wright offered some encouraging moments in what was otherwise an embarrassing overall effort from the Heat. He provided what little assistance Wade received on offense early in the game by making six of his first seven shots. He closed with 16 points, four rebounds, an assist and a block in 27 minutes off the bench. Only one other player scored in double figures for the Heat, but Jermaine O'Neal's 12 points hardly had an impact.

NEXT UP: Raptors at Heat, 7:30 Tuesday - AmericanAirlines Arena

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Comments

[SATANLOVES]

FIRE SPO.

[pugtv]

Has Beasley and the others finally quit on Dead Weight Spo's B.S.?

[sergio]

it is clear ........we need a coach!!
a real one !!!

[lequeenLames]

this team needs a coach,but i cant see riley firing spolstra.Its like saying"i messed up but i cant admit it.Wade also needs to be a better leader and stop the haslem,rich and wright are my friends and i want them on the flooor instead of beasley.In the end he will be judge for his leadership and talent is what this team need,not friendship

[305 Representer]

I think we should stop with the "fire the coach" comments and stop making him the scape-goat for our short on talent team. Sure his rotation is somewhat puzzling at times but you cant say he's not putting the best five players as our starting unit. Also Haslem in the starting unit or not won't solve the Heat woes. I'm a true Heat fan so don't kill me when I say this but I hope we go on a 4 or 5 game losing streak to force Riley hand into doing something. We need a trade for a proven scorer (i.e McGrady) or a reliable point.

[ebag]

WARNING!!! in case of one more home blowout against a lottery team, please press button

((PANIC))

[dsky0921]

"but you cant say he's not putting the best five players as our starting unit."

So Diawara was one of the five best players in a Heat uniform last night? I think Spo has no idea how to properly utilize his backup centers and his bench rotation is deplorable. I'm glad he got lucky and Wright is starting show some signs of life, but I honestly thought last night would have been a decent night to try to get Cook some minutes to stretch the defense for Wade (his defense is still solid as well). Also, I'm a big Michael Beasley supporter, despite his usual low basketball IQ, but Spo HAS to tell him to drive against Zach Randolph. The fact that we couldn't get offense from anyone but Wade and Wright while Beasley sits on the bench is deplorable. Zach Randolph is a terrible defender and Beasley should have been told to drive on Randolph as much as possible last night instead of just throwing up jumpers. The lack of preperation for these games that we should win easily is just aweful. I don't understand how anyone can defend Spo right now. He's doing a horrible job.

[Greg Gembe]

"We need a trade for a proven scorer (i.e McGrady) or a reliable point."

You didn't just use McGrady and 'reliable' in the same sentence, did you? That is comical!

So now, Riley / Spo / and Wade all are against Beasley, for varied reasons, but no supercoolbeas fans can understand why. Hmmm, maybe we should take those blinders off....or, hope that the Raptors GM has on those same blinders. Beasley for Bosh -- make it happen, now.

[pmartin]

INTERESTING;
Beasley; is suppose to be a WEAK link on D.
YET; Wade and D Stopper Cuba GET LIT UP !!!
AND;
Spo leaves Beasley in for Mop-up Duty in Blowout.
Beasley SHOULD ask to be traded.
AND
Greg Gembe;
Why do you ask for Chris Bosh;
SO WADE can CRY to SPO to have his FRIEND
U.D. play in the 4th.
Bosh WOULD and WILL never go for that.

[RP]

Sad, sad display...especially when it appears both the OKC Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies organizations plus team talent levels have passed the Heat. But...what is there really to play for? They can't beat the Magic or Hawks let alone contest the Celtics beyond practice fodder. Just play the young guys, get some experience, don't disable Wade for life, and hopefully get your studs for next year...forget this year.

[rockstarjc]

i think WADE must realize now that the team is unwilling to get the help HE need...

HE should sign for other team! rather than to stay here in MIAMI we're i see HIM playing with too much pressure for nothing!!!

leave the HEAT WADE before you get injured again!!!

fire RILEY & SPO!!!

[rockstarjc]

EVEN IF WE SIGN AN ALL-STAR TYPE OF PLAYER TO PLAY WITH WADE IF WE HAVE SPO AS OUR HEAD COACH WE ARE THEN GARBAGE STILL!!!!

HIRE A COACH!!! BYRON SCOTT! or AVERY JOHNSON! or LAWRENCE FRANK! ARE OUT THERE!!!

[RP]

Too many idiotic statements. This team isn't being messed up by Spo or Wade. Spo doesn't have the firepower and Wade can't do it all. Stupid comments about trading Beasley for Bosh isn't the answer. Why do that when the Heat could keep Beas and sign Bosh in the off season? This whole season was destined for being a lost season from the get go. Think next season.

[black the trucker]

well, a lot of comments, but the real truth to what is really going on out there is, trades.... rudy gay, pick him up, now!!! he is and will be an all-star here with the heat... now thabeet is young and with the right training could be another shotblocking big who could change this team down the road... maybe two 2nd round picks for blatche from washington or something like that... but you can make the trade with memphis by just letting beasley, wright, quinn, randolph, something like that... now there is a lot of young players coming out next year, so let beasley go... he's not who we want... but plz, lets make better picks this time... gasol, is better right now, but thabeet is a game changer... get him stronger and teach him how to play the game... he is worth it... maybe you keep wright and trade cook... this way this team isn't a 1, but is still top 4 in the east... we have to make a move and this or these moves would work... coach is cool, this is more about chemistry and talent... this mix just isn't together and its ok, just tweek it a little and this could and will be ok... 7

[Jake]

Just flat out terrible effort. I do not think firing Spo helps but putting in Diawara to start after logging 6 minutes total so far, was flat out retarded.

Someone PLEASE tell Wade to stop these fruity ass turn around jumpers, they arent falling and we are not winning.

Memphis and Dallas just shoved in our face how badly we lack offensive fire power, oh and athleticism as well.

[heatfan]

Wow!! What a head shaker last night?? Where is the defense that was supposed to be so great? No one guarded anyone last night. Wade was constantly embarrassed by Mayo and Gay showed up the whole team the whole night. What a pickup he would be for the Heat. This team is going no where fast. Can beat the weak teams in East and are garbage for any team in the West. Dont know where to go from here. The offense looks so difficult to even get a basket. There is no flow. Chalmers is HORRIBLE!! Arroyo is HORRIBLE!! There is NO PG other than Wade at times on this team. Why are we not starting game feeding JO? He is so underutilized. He could be getting 20/10 a night but Wade wont give him the ball. I dont have any answers. Big Cat has some good minutes again then he does not come back? Why is he on the bad list this year?

[black the trucker]

look, this team is in transition... but when you find a good fit, go get him, don't waste any time just make the move... we should have drafted mayo, hey whats done is done... now lets get rudy... and don't forget tha beet... hell if i was the making moves right now i would look for maybe bayless, blatche, gay, thabeet, bosh and still have those two 1st round picks... well, lets just say, this is a gm's dream to have chip's and being in the market... what would you do? i mean really? hell i would put a damn dream team together and still be able to sign a top flight free agent... let in pat, the time is now... don't wait anymore... forget that damn standing pat stuff.. the time is now... make some damn move... you hear me, i'm at the door, let me in, this has to be done, now, don't wait.. ha ha ha, see how much i see this, plz, open your eyes, make the call, do some thing... 7

[JPEJEFF]

WTF IS SPRO DOING?

[cp12]

I think we need to update the uniforms and make them fresher. The stripe on the side needs modification.

www.blogmiamiheat.com

[black the trucker]

what???

[Ramon]

For what I have seen so far between Chalmers and Arroyo is that with Spoeltra's philosophy of the game Miami does not really need a true point guard like Arroyo or Chalmers. The way that this team is ran is based on too much individualism and slow half court game. Chalmers is just starting his career as a point guard and unfortunately Miami is not the team for him to be if he wants to grow as a point guard, since all the plays Spoeltra developed are built for Wade only rather than a collective effort from the team. Even when Miami was winnig, I found their game to be very boring. There is no ball movement plays, pick and rolls(only one Arroyo and Haslem), no fast breaks, there should be more plays for Arroyo and Beasly and Jermaine O'neal.

Conclusion: Hire another coach that can bring the team together, rather than just let Wade do everything.

[black the trucker]

too hell with that, make some moves!!! i think wright is a good player, but rudy is an all-star who needs this team as much as this team needs him... and either gasol or thabeet would help this team in the middle.. i would rather thabeet.. we need a shot blocker... 7 footer like thabeet would be the one i would take... cook and conley together in memphis would be good for them too... that team should be a lot better than tere record.. but hey this is more about the heat and how this team can improve... build a dynasty, trade for gay, thabeet, sign bosh, draft john wall, now lets get it...7

[black the trucker]

ramon... too hell with that... in 06, the heat started 11-12 than we made a change that was needed... this team needs a change in terms of roster... a trade for some players who could bring a little more scoring and defense in the middle. we will get another point gaurd, but charlmers is ok... he needs to work on his game... but he also needs to change his circle... stay with what got you drafted, not with who isn't going to be here... you are good but focus and let your talent shine... wade needs some help and i think pat, it's on you, make the moves to improve ths team and sit back and look like the general who made it all happen... hey it worked for the celtics... why not the heat.... 7

[black the trucker]

see, beasley in memphis at the three would give them one of the top young teams in the league.. so let him go there and pair up with mayo.. hey we would still be ok... i think rudy and wade with a support cast would be must see tv... and give us a fighting chance with one or two other moves... but start here... 7

[Ramon]

Trucker: I still believe that we have the talent in our team to address the scoring woes. We need another coach with a vision of teamwork and let Wade handle 4th quaters of each game. Right now Wade is really playing 4 quaters rather than just the 4th when we really need him. We have not reached half of the season yet, and Wade is already banged up. We need more plays so the team can have fun playing. Again, even though we were winnig at the beggining of the seaon I didn't get the sense that the guys were having fun.

Therefore I still believe that we need a new coach. We need a coach that can teach more plays.

[black the trucker]

ok, here's the trade; beasley,cook,diawara,quinn,randolph for gay, thabeet, arthur.... this way we get better on both sides of the ball... and coach is ok.. when you don't have the right players together on the floor it's going to show, maybe you can fool some of the teams some of the time but not all.. and this is just proof of how the talent level just didn't fit but thats why you make trades to improve your roster... ramon, we need a trade....7

[ebag]

"The fact that we couldn't get offense from anyone but Wade and Wright while Beasley sits on the bench is deplorable"

-dsky0921

------------------------------------------------

i couldn't have said it better myself. i am a big udonis fan, but it is obvious that the heat need mike beezy to play a bigger role on this team. he is turning into a 20/10 player while playing less than 30 minutes a game. get him on the court!

[john]

Nothing would make me happier then to fire spo! How is it that you put a guy in the starting lineup(Yakuba) that hasn't been signifanct at all ahead of Dorell, and james jones. And Your reason for it is cause you don't want to disrupt your bench rotation!? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!? HE HASN'T PLAYED ALL YEAR SPO!? I feel sorry for wade man. Putting with dumbness. I've been saying this since last year. FIRE SPO. Byron scott is out there. Please!

[ebag]

i'm not quite on the "fire spo" bandwagon yet. ask me again at the end of this homestand

[armond pierce]

Beasly is not doing anything but taking weak jump-shots and not playing no d at all and no rebounding. let that weed smoking lazy player go him and chalmers sorry butt's and fire that weak coach go.d-wade will be leaving soon if he don't get help will soon.

[305 Representer]

"We need a trade for a proven scorer (i.e McGrady) or a reliable point."

I didn't call McGrady reliable I said he was a proven scorer and that we we needed a reliable point. Simple reading comprehension skills will get you far in life.

"So Diawara was one of the five best players in a Heat uniform last night?"

Let's not be sarcastic for just the sake of it you know Diawara is not a regular starter and he barely plays. What I meant was Spo is putting out the players he has available. None of these guys except Wade and O'neal were multiple season all stars so lets stop acting as soon as they put a Heat uniform they're just going to become incredible all of sudden. We don't have a stock full of talent on the team. Even Beasley couldn't carry the team if he was allow to (and I'm the biggest Beasley fan!!!)

[calm because i saw things going this way already]

as pointed out, spo should have told Bease to drive in on Randolph, prepared him in practice to...Spo doesn't know what he's doin, but don't expect a real coach in Miami til Riley leaves. he loves his yes me and when SVG surpassed riley by doing things his way, he was let go. Avery would light a fire into riley for his handling of personnel and riley ego couldn't stand the truth or being shown up, thus Spoe is the coach. His basketball IQ isn't high enough to coach (yet or may never be?) especially with the roster that Riley has given him...Wade will leave...Thanks Riley. Like when Riley was coaching and would wait to call a timeout after we were down by 20 instead of when we were still up by 10 (from a 20pt lead), Riley will trade after we're 20 games too far away and not enough time to build chemistry, and probably for Ricky Davis or Zach Randolph...so no trades at this point please...lottery here we come...

[KnewThisWasALotterySeason]

as pointed out, spo should have told Bease to drive in on Randolph, prepared him in practice to...Spo doesn't know what he's doin, but don't expect a real coach in Miami til Riley leaves. he loves his YES-men and when SVG surpassed riley by doing things his way, he was let go. Avery would light a fire into riley for his handling of personnel and riley ego couldn't stand the truth or being shown up, thus Spoe is the coach. His basketball IQ isn't high enough to coach (yet or may never be?) especially with the roster that Riley has given him...Wade will leave...Thanks Riley. Like when Riley was coaching and would wait to call a timeout after we were down by 20 instead of when we were still up by 10 (from a 20pt lead), Riley will trade after we're 20 games too far away and not enough time to build chemistry, and probably for Ricky Davis or Zach Randolph...so no trades at this point please...lottery here we come...