Miami Heat Still Need To Confront Their Defensive Struggles

The Miami Heat had numerous issues this season but one of them is defense.

The Heat are ninth in defensive ratings but head coach Erik Spoelstra believes his team can do better. Last year, they were one of the best, ranking fifth in defensive ratings.

"We have not been defending at a world-class level, the way that we're capable of," Spoelstra said.

They allowed the Brooklyn Nets to hit 18 3-pointers on 40 percent shooting in their loss Saturday night. But the bigger problem came in the second half when they were outscored 64-31.

"The second half just became an avalanche,' Spoelstra said. "From there, it didn't necessarily matter what scheme we were in. We were just not doing it to the level that we're capable of. That doesn't even guarantee you anything. I've seen us defend with much discipline, communication, precision and effort. We didn't do enough of that consistently throughout the last three quarters."

The Heat’s 3-point defense has haunted them this season. They are ranked 22nd in opponent’s 3-point percentage with 37 percent.

Tyler Herro, who got off to a quick start and finished with 23 points, agreed with Spoelstra and admitted their defense was one of the worst this season.

"Definitely, we don't give up 129 points to a lot of people," Herro said. "That's on us. We've got to get better."

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.