The Miami Heat are on the brink of elimination after dropping a crucial Game 3 in their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
The Heat were rather flat in the must-win game, and instead of coming out on top, they were blown out in front of their home fans.
Not only did the Heat lose the game, but they suffered their worst playoff loss in franchise history. Miami is now one loss away from being sent home.
Their odds of winning Game 4 aren’t great despite being at home. Although that is the case, Heat All-Star guard Tyler Herro is not going out without a fight. After the loss on Saturday, Herro made a bold prediction, saying he and his team would not get swept.
“We’re not going down 4-0,” said Herro.
At this point, it is all about playing for pride. No team in NBA history has ever come back down from a 3-0 deficit. The Heat, who are the No. 8 seed in the East, are unlikely to do that, but they can force the Cavaliers to extend the series and prolong their inevitable doom.
Herro and the rest of the Heat roster did not help their cause in Game 3. Herro easily had his worst game of the postseason, scoring only 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 37 minutes of action.
After hitting the century mark twice on the road, the Heat failed to do so in their home arena, scoring 87 points.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra did not mince any words on his team’s performance on Saturday.
“Clearly, a very disappointing day,” Spoelstra said. “Our guys really want this, and it probably looks like our guys don’t. But I know what our last six weeks have been like, just to fight and scratch and claw to get into this. And that’s why this is such a disappointing game.
” This marks the 159th instance in NBA history where a team has gone up 3-0 in a playoff series; the previous 157 teams to do so all went on to advance.