Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier described their season to date as “super mediocre” after they were held to nine fourth-quarter points in their first game since trading Jimmy Butler.
The Heat slipped to a 102-86 defeat against the lowly Brooklyn Nets on Friday, a result that keeps them at 25-25 for the season and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
It represented Miami’s first game since trading six-time All-Star Butler to the Golden State Warriors, a move that came after he stormed out of a practice session and was suspended by the team on three occasions.
Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell, the three players acquired by the Heat in what became a five-team trade, were all absent at Barclays Center.
Rozier, who had a team-high 20 points for Miami, was asked after the loss to summarise their season up to the 50-game mark.
“Super mediocre,” he said. “Tonight was devastating. We said some things after the game, and I feel it will better us.
“We obviously have got to turn things around right now. That’s why we’re having these tough conversations.”
The Nets outscored the Heat by a 31-9 margin in the fourth quarter, overturning what was a 77-71 lead for Miami through the first three quarters.
“We’re inconsistent right now,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re inconsistent game to game, possession to possession.
“We put together three to four possessions in a row, and there is a natural human condition and we fall prey to it quickly. Managing success, we don’t manage it well.”
Earlier on Friday, Spoelstra was asked about the way his players had reacted to the upheaval affecting the franchise in recent weeks, with Butler having openly sought a trade.
“I really commend the group for staying the course and focusing on the present moment. You do want to have empathy for guys when it gets close to the trade deadline,” he said.
“This isn’t just fantasy sports. These are human beings. Having to move and change franchises mid-season, that can’t be easy.
“That’s the business we chose; the part people don’t think about on the outside. It’s an amazing profession, but not always the best business.”
The Heat return home to face the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, on Monday, before embarking on a five-game road stretch.
