Erik Spoelstra’s ‘not enough’ Heat claim will catch attention amid massive slump

As the Miami Heat faced the New York Knicks, the 132-125 loss marked the team’s seventh in the last eight games, marking a stark contrast from the early success of the season. After another disappointing outing for the Heat, head coach Erik Spoelstra gets real about what he’s seeing from the team’s performance as of late, especially after the loss to New York.

It would be a better outing from Miami offensively, as scoring 125 was like how it was to start the season, but defensively continues to be a disappointing aspect, giving up 132 to the Knicks, though they are considered a high-powered squad. Spoelstra would be asked after the loss if there are any positives despite the losses, which he would admit there have been, but their effort is “not enough.”

“I definitely see things,” Spoelstra said, according to video from the team, via Heat Central on X, formerly Twitter. “We are developing a collective, competitive will, and these painful games eventually are going to be wins.

“We’re not happy about the result,” Spoelstra continued. “We’re not trying to just play well and lose at the end, We’re developing a competitive, collective will. Our guys care in the locker room, but it’s got to be another level. It’s not enough. It’s got to be more. This league is a savage league. It’s survival of the competitive toughest, and that’s where we’re going to get.”

Coach Spo says the Heat need to care more than they do right now

"Our guys care in the locker room but has to be another level. Has to be more. Its not enough. Its a savage league. Its survival of the competitive toughest. Thats where we're gonna get."

Coach Spo was visibly… https://t.co/SyN5z3CqYN pic.twitter.com/XT8FK47ZS5

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 22, 2025

The team has been unable to recapture what made them dangerous to start. What’s more infuriating has been their performance in clutch games, being 1-4 in such contests in the aforementioned eight-game stretch.

Heat looking to sustain consistent play

While it hasn’t always been horrid as the Heat keep getting impressive outings from Kel’el Ware, who recorded 28 points and a whopping 19 rebounds, it hasn’t resulted in collective victories for the team as of late. However, there’s no doubt that most teams in the NBA deal with these types of stints with Miami in the midst of trying to get out, which the same sentiments were echoed by Davion Mitchell.

“There are going to be ups and downs throughout the season. It’s 82 games, no one’s always on a high,” Mitchell said, according to The Miami Herald, as he recorded 13 points and eight assists. “I think right now we’re just going through it. But we’re playing hard, that’s the thing. We’re playing hard. It’s not like we’re quitting out there.”

There was some improvement in the loss to the Knicks, with the Heat leading by 10 in the first half, with an effective shooting night to start, hitting 45 percent from deep in the duration. But New York would come roaring back and running away, and while Miami fought back late, it wasn’t enough.

“We have good stretches and runs, but like we got to learn and understand and see how we can extend those five, six, seven, eight, ten minutes into 24 minutes, into 36,” Powell said, who scored 22 points on Sunday. “We got to figure out how to continue to extend and keep the game working in our favor.”

Miami is now 15-14, one game below .500, which was a far cry from how the team started the season with a chance to separate away and stack wins, as the squad returns home for Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.

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