The Miami Heat got off to a slow start in the 2024-25 NBA season, but they’ve turned things around as of late, winning seven of their last 10 games to move into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
On Sunday, the Heat knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers – the No. 1 seed in the East – for their third consecutive win. Following the victory, Heat guard Terry Rozier shared what it meant to the Heat to pick up a win over such a good team.
“We got some fight in us. We beat the No. 1 team in the East,” Rozier said. “Obviously, it doesn’t mean everything. But we’re heading in the right direction. We knew how important this week was for us. We handled our business and now we just want to keep doing that.”
Miami is now 12-10 in the 2024-25 season, and it’s starting to play like one of the best teams in the league. The Heat rank 12th in the league overall in net rating, and over their last 10 games, the Heat are sixth in net rating.
“I feel like everyone is sharing the ball and making the right play offensively,” Herro said. “Defensively, playing together, talking, communicating, covering for each other, doing all the things that are required to win in this league. Then, obviously, the goal is to win a championship. But I think it starts now with building the habits, building all the things that we’re going to need come April, May.”
The Heat have been a contender in the East for several seasons, making appearances in the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season and 2022-23 season. However, they’ve yet to win a title with Jimmy Butler, Herro and Bam Adebayo as the core of their roster.
Last season, Miami’s playoff run came to an early end, as it lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round. Butler and Rozier did not play in that series due to injuries, and the Heat were overmatched as a result.
Even though Miami has played just 22 games this season, it’s interesting to see that Herro is already focused on the team building the right habits for a title run. Clearly, the Heat believe they’ll be a playoff team in the 2024-25 season.
Herro was huge against the Cavs, scoring 34 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field (5-for-9 from 3) while grabbing six boards and dishing out seven assists.
“I think it’s collectively just playing great basketball,” Adebayo said. “Everybody is doing their part. No matter what that last column says, we’re all doing our part trying to figure out how we can get wins. You don’t realize how hard it is to actually get a win in this league. It’s very easy to lose a game.”
Adebayo, the anchor of the Miami defense, had a double-double on Sunday against Cleveland, finishing the matchup with 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a block.
The Heat have a few days off after Sunday’s win to rest up before they take on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, Dec. 12. That matchup is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. EST from Kaseya Center in Miami.