Heat see the season end in emphatic fashion, a 55-point loss to Cleveland

MIAMI (AP) — Game 3 against Cleveland was the worst loss in Miami Heat playoff history.

Game 4 against Cleveland was worse. Much worse. Historic levels of worse, really.

An up-and-down Heat season ended very down — on the receiving end of the worst loss in franchise playoff history. Cleveland rolled past Miami 138-83, finishing off a four-game sweep of their Eastern Conference first-round series Monday night.

The game’s final margin was 55 points, 18 points worse than the 121-84 win that the Cavs had Saturday in Game 3. The margin in the series was 122 points, the most one-sided postseason series the NBA has ever seen.

“We definitely didn’t expect this,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “Tough last two games for us. … No excuses for it. It’s embarrassing. Definitely humbling. There’s a lot of work to be put in.”

Changes are coming this summer. That is certain. The Heat know they need more to compete, and team captain Bam Adebayo said he’s already waiting to see what team president Pat Riley and the front office targets.

“There’s going to be a lot of changes this summer,” Adebayo said. “Just from my point of view, understanding how the guy with the silver hair works. Just be prepared for that.”

The Heat led 3-2. It was the lone hurrah of Game 4. Cleveland quickly pushed the lead out to 15-3 … then 28-8 … then 43-14 … then, well, you get the idea.

The end was horrible, by all possible measures. But even in the aftermath losing by 55, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra tried to put a season that was rocky — the Jimmy Butler suspension sagas before he got traded, a 10-game losing streak, a slew of players underperforming their expectations, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference and making the playoffs anyway — into some sort of perspective.

He lauded Cleveland. They were clearly better. He just thought the Heat were capable of more.

“They left us behind these last two games,” Spoelstra said. “I’ll be able to separate this because it’s a shame that we’ll be remembered for these two home games here and taking a 4-0 sweep. This group showed a lot of character and resilience. It was a fun group to be around, especially those last eight weeks of the season while we were just grinding. Struggling, grinding, and then playing our best basketball at the end of the season, when it mattered.”

Hard to believe now, but the Heat left Cleveland a few days ago brimming with confidence. Down 2-0 in the series, yes, but they had cut a 19-point deficit in Game 2 down to two with 4 minutes left and thought they had figured something out.

They had not.

“It’s pretty amazing what they did as a 10 seed to win two play-in games on the road,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said of the Heat. “We had seven, eight days of rest (before Round 1). And I always appreciate the class they play with. Win, lose, they don’t play dirty, they win with humility, when they lose they’re just a class program. Utmost respect for their club, their coaching staff, players in that locker room.”

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA