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The 1991-92 Miami Heat team can finally exhale. 

They no longer have the distinction of the worst loss in NBA history. That distinction now belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who fell 152-79 against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night. The 73-point margin surpassed the Heat's 68-point defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 17, 1991. 

“When you compete, you have exposure to the highs and lows of competition,” Mark Daigneault said. “And competition comes with great joy, and it also comes with grief and frustration and anger. And when you step in that ring, that’s what you expose yourself to is all of those things. It’s why the joy feels so good, because when you get punched and you taste your own blood, it doesn’t feel right.”

The Heat can now relax. On their disaster night 30 years ago, coach Kevin Loughery benched the starters two minutes into the second half. He replaced Rony Seikaly, Grant Long, Willie Burton, Glen Rice and Steve Smith with Alan Ogg, Alec Kessler, Keith Askins, Bimbo Coles and Kevin Edwards. 

"I told them at halftime that they had three to four minutes in the second half to try to get it together, and they just couldn't get in sync," Loughery said at the time."

The Heat went on to finish 38-44 that season. They were then swept by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the first round.

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