The “Inside the NBA” crew probably felt like the rest of America did while watching the blowout series-ending loss for the Heat that saw them eventually lose 138-83 to the Cavaliers.
But Charles Barkley may have said it best during halftime as he took the Heat to task for what was an ugly effort on Monday night.
Bam Adebayo hides his face while watching the end of the Heat’s blowout loss to the Cavaliers to send them packing from the playoffs. Getty Images
“I try not to ever use the word quit or choke. I very seldom use them,” Barkley said. “This is quitting at its finest right here. I bet if we went to their house, all their stuff is already packed.”
“If you lose by 37 and then come back and lose by 40, you can’t stay in town,” he added.
Ernie Johnson also called it the “worst game I ever watched.”
The loss ends the Heat’s season in embarrassing fashion after they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Cavs, in a series that never really felt close.
The Heat became the first team to lose back-to-back playoff games by at least 30 points and the series will go down as the most lopsided playoff series in NBA history, with Miami being outscored by 122 over the four-game series.
Charles Barkely calls out the Heat for “quitting” in playoff elimination loss to Cavaliers. X @NBAonTNT
Tyler Herro talks to his Heat teammates during Miami’s blowout loss to the Cavaliers. Getty Images
“As an organization,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the loss, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “we’re going to look at this and say this is unacceptable.”
He added: “This series was humbling. These last two games were embarrassing. They showed us why we weren’t ready.”
This marked the second consecutive year that the Heat were bounced from the postseason in the first round.
They had been knocked out of the playoffs in five games by the Celtics last year.
This year’s loss ends a season for Miami that saw the franchise trade Jimmy Butler to the Warriors after a dramatic end to the relationship between the two sides.
