Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Makes Blunt Assessment After Season-Opening Loss

Miami is ready to move on to the next game after losing 116-97 to Orlando. Bam Adebayo put their mentality into perspective.

Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) gets fouled by Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Miami Heat refused to hold back words when discussing the season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic.

“We played bad. It’s not really anything to that,” Adebayo said. “I mean, that’s, that’s as simple as I can make it. It’s embarrassing, especially on a night like this for the Godfather Riley."

The Heat were blown out on the night the court at Kaseya Center was named after team president Pat Riley. The organization held a ceremony at halftime. Several former players returned for the event, including Udonis Haslem, Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning.

After trailing by four at the half, they were outscored 39-18 in the third quarter before the 19-point loss.

"For us, it’s short term memory," Adebayo said. "I know it’s the beginning of the season, but we don’t want to create this as like a ‘getting used to’ thing. For us, it’s win or misery.”

The good news is it's only the first of 82 games. The Heat have plenty of time to get things together.

"I thought the first half wasn't perfect," Heat guard Tyler Herro said. "The ball was moving. Our bodies were moving. I thought we were hard to guard. The result never tells the story. We felt like we were doing the right thing in the first half, not too sure what happened in the second half."

The Heat return to action Saturday at the Charlotte Hornets.

Ryan Diamond is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at radiamond15@gmail.com and @RyanDiam15 on X