6 Reasons to Smile Through Pains of 6-Game Losing Streak

Recap7 years ago3 min readSantiago Archieri

Miami dropped their sixth-straight game with an iconic missed three from Dion Waiters at the final seconds, falling 93-90 to the Atlanta Hawks.

Tuesday’s loss also dropped Miami to 1-5 at the AmericanAirlines Arena (2-8 overall)—the worst start for any HEAT team since it began the 2007-08 season with a whopping 0-6 record at home.

Yet somehow, some HEAT fans are smiling after the game. So after a sixth-straight loss, I figured it’d only be fitting to share six reasons why you should smile through the pain too.


1. Hassan Whiteside is Finding Ways to Produce

Some might call it empty stats but Whiteside went on to finish the night with an NBA season-high 25 rebounds, tagging along 19 points. Early on, he had a competitive first half with Dwight Howard and managed to grab nine first quarter rebounds on him. After Howard exited the game due to an injured left thigh, Whiteside took over.

2. J-Rich is Getting Comfortable

Looking at the bright side of Winslow and Dragic’s injuries, Josh Richardson shined with the ball in his hands. He finished the game with 19 points on 57 percent shooting from the field. Richardson also played terrific defense and was active all night long to notch a career-high three blocks to go with two steals.

3. The Other Guys Were Fun Too

The playing time found its way onto the Rodney McGruder experiment. McGruder finished with an NBA career high 37 minutes. He managed eight points while James Johnson and Tyler Johnson combined for 27 points off the bench.

4. The D- fense…?

Defense. The HEAT had a sloppy offense for most of the game but made up for it on the defensive side. Miami forced 21 turnovers, had 11 steals and seven blocks as a team, allowing only six offensive rebounds and six fast break points. This is significant because the Hawks have been the better rebounding team all season, securing 54 percent of available rebounds compared to Miami (48 percent).

5. Miami Fought the Entire Way Through the Loss

The HEAT, who entered Tuesday night on a five-game losing streak, weren’t supposed to be this annoying against a surging Hawks team (8-2) that had won four straight. Down two starters and on the second night of a back-to-back, a Dion Waiters missed three could have sent this game into overtime. Moral victory?

6. The HEAT Aren’t Losing by That Much

The HEAT have only lost their eight games this season by an average of 6.9 (nice) points per game. Three of their last four losses were within four points or less. It sucks, but it doesn’t suck too much, huh? It’s also kind of fitting for Dwyane Wade to be a part of this six-game losing streak.