Heat coach Erik Spoelstra not ready to push panic button after two-game losing streak

Miami Heat have lost consecutive games for the first time this season

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been here before.

This is nothing new for him. He is, after all, the second-longest tenured coach behind Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. He has experienced it all. 

So he’s dealt with several stretches as the Heat’s current situation. They have now lost consecutive games to the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks on the road. It marked the first time they have dropped back-to-back games this season.

After Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, Spoelstra said there will be no rotation changes. It’s too early to sound the alarm.

“This is not our first rodeo,” Spoelstra said. “We don’t need to panic. We don’t need to try to reinvent the wheel. We know how to do it. We’ve done it. This personnel has done it. This season has become real for us, like it becomes real for everybody. Seasons just don’t go easy all the way through.”

The Heat, who began the three-game road trip as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, are now tied with the Boston Celtics. After the strong start, they are just 6-4 in their last 10 games. Spoelstra contributed it to a variety of factors, including poor defense and the offense sputtering during late-game situations.

As he put it, the “offense dried up.” They were outscored 40-27 by the Knicks in the fourth quarter. 

“That’s something that obviously has been troubling us of late,” Spoelstra said. “Our offense has been there in the fourth quarter to be able to bail us out. These are some minor trends that have been building up the last two or three weeks. The last two games, they’ve caught up to us.” 

The Heat return home Wednesday to face the Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena.