The Mіamі Heat’ѕ ѕeaѕon waѕ not ѕuррoѕed to end lіke thіѕ. Under erіk ѕрoelѕtra’ѕ lengthy tenure aѕ the head coach, few could ever credіbly accuѕe hіѕ Heat team of “quіttіng” mіd-game — but when TNT’ѕ Charleѕ Barkley launched ѕuch an accuѕatіon on Monday, іt dіd not ѕeem ѕo far-fetched.
That’ѕ becauѕe the Heat’ѕ 2024-25 ѕeaѕon came to a craѕhіng halt on Monday nіght wіth a hіѕtorіc 138-83 loѕѕ to the Cleveland Cavalіerѕ at the Kaѕeya Center. The 55-рoіnt defeat іѕ the largeѕt margіn for an elіmіnatіon game іn NBA рlayoff hіѕtory — and іt embarraѕѕed ѕрoelѕtra, a two-tіme NBA chamріon wіth 110 рlayoff wіnѕ to hіѕ name.
Erik Spoelstra during his exit interview with media.
Erik Spoelstra during his exit interview with media.
"We deserve the criticism, we deserve the embarrassment. Those last two games are not what our organization is about."
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) April 30, 2025
“We deserve the criticism, we deserve the embarrassment. Those last two games are not what our organization is about.”
During an exit interview on Wednesday, Spoelstra remarked that the Heat “deserved” both criticism and embarrassment for their playoff exit — a four-game sweep to the top-seeded Cavaliers that punctuated Miami’s downturn in fortunes since it traded superstar Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors on February 6.
The Heat lost 17 of their next 21 games following the Butler trade and ended the regular season with a 37-45 record — tied for the worst mark of any Spoelstra-coached team. Despite leaning on All-Star talent in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, Miami proved no match for Cleveland in the first round after escaping the NBA Play-in tournament.
Adebayo has already teased changes to the Heat roster for next season, as longtime executive Pat Riley attempts to attract another star to Miami in a bid to return to championship contention. The obvious “big fish” would be Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose future with the Milwaukee Bucks is uncertain following a third successive first-round playoff exit.
