Wade: ‘We got our butt kicked pretty good’

Miami Heat fall game behind in their NBA Finals Series against San Antonio Spurs as the defending champions struggle.

Chris Bosh, Ray Allen,, LeBron James, Norris Cole, Dwyane Wade
Miami need to win on the road against San Antonio - who have only one loss in seven playoff games at home [AP]

A sudden disappearance of scoring by the top-seeded Miami Heat has the defending champions scrambling to rediscover their form in time to turn the NBA Finals back in their favour.

The Heat, who averaged nearly 103 points per game during the 82-game regular season, endured their lowest offensive output of the entire 2012-13 campaign in Tuesday’s lifeless 113-77 loss to the host San Antonio Spurs.

Following the defeat, the Heat now trail the best-of-seven NBA Finals 2-1 with the next two games being played in San Antonio on Thursday and Sunday. 

“We got our butt kicked pretty good,” Dwyane Wade, who had a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, told reporters.

“This was a terrible performance by the Miami Heat. Our worst one yet. And we have to correct it.” 

The Heat shot a lousy 40.8 percent from the field and the only consistent player on the court was Mike Miller, a 12-year veteran guard, who came off the bench to score 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

LeBron James, who entered the game averaging a team-high 25.2 points per game, was held to four points in the first half on 2-of-8 shooting. 

Ferocious offense

The four-time most valuable player (MVP) found his rhythm for a brief period late in the third quarter but still finished with 15 points, his lowest output of the post-season.

Making matters worse was a ferocious Spurs offense that put the game out of reach with an impressive 33-5 run in the second half that whipped the home crowd into a frenzy.

“We got what we deserved,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters.

“They got into an incredible rhythm, even in the first quarter. Every shot they wanted to get, they got. We did not disrupt them. And then that’s the flow. And it just went from there. We never got to our game.”

After dropping the opening game of the series at home, Miami responded with a convincing 103-84 victory that seemed to shift the momentum back in their favour.

But to avoid being pushed to the brink of elimination, Miami will have to find a way to win on the road against a San Antonio team that has one loss in seven playoff games at the AT&T Center this year.

“Every game from this point on is a must-win,” Wade said.

“We have to win it.”

Source: Reuters