Takeaways From Miami Heat's Mortifying Season-Ending Loss To Cleveland Cavaliers

Apr 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) passes the basketball as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and guard Sam Merrill (5) defend in the first quarter during game four for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat's season is over.

After scratching and clawing to make it out of the Play-In Tournament into the playoffs, the Heat were swept in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Here are my takeaways from the final game of their season.

Absolute Beatdown

You thought a 37-point loss was bad? Not only did the Heat have a lead for just 20 seconds, but they were essentially blown out from start to finish. The first quarter score was 43-17. The Cavs led by 60 in the fourth quarter as Heat fans had to suffer through the team's eighth consecutive home playoff loss.

No Offense

The Heat had no offensive rhythm or flow, other than Nikola Jovic's 24 points. Their best players played with no space. They finished with more turnovers than assists. The Cavs had 15 steals. For context, the league-leaders in steals per game averaged under 11.

After all the conversation about the way the Cavs were defending Heat leading scorer Tyler Herro, what was the response? He scored a field goal in the first minute, and didn't have another.

The Heat made 36 percent from the field to go along with a 1st percentile offensive rating in the halfcourt and overall.

No Defense

The Cavs got wherever they wanted to with not much resistance along the way, finishing with a 98th percentile 140.6 offensive rating. Their five main shot-takers in this one combined to convert on almost 63 percent of their attempts. The Cavs also made 13 more free throws.

The Heat's transition defense was awful, giving up a 95th percentile transition offensive rating. The Cavs finished with a whopping 28 points off turnovers to the Heat's 5.

Just an abysmal performance all-around to cap off a woeful season.

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket