Week 22 of the 2025–26 NBA season was a brutal one for the Miami Heat, as they went 0–3 and saw their recent momentum stall out in painful fashion. Eric Labrador of ThePeachBasket.net breaks down what went wrong, who still showed up, and why mental toughness is now the central theme heading into a crucial stretch.
In this Heat edition of Run It Back: NBA Week in Review, Eric recaps a winless week that saw Miami drop in the standings, lose late in heartbreaking fashion, and get a harsh lesson in toughness from an older Lakers team. He highlights big performances from Bam Adebayo, emerging contributions from role players like Keisha Johnson and Kel’el Ware, and the growing urgency as the Heat chase seeding in a tightly packed Eastern Conference. The episode closes by looking ahead to a must-respond matchup with the Spurs, a two-game set in Cleveland, and what Miami has to do mentally to turn things around.
Key Talking Points
• Week 22 overview
• Heat go 0–3, snapping the momentum from a seven-game winning streak.
• Eric uses a cycling race metaphor: Miami went from running with the front pack to getting swallowed by the mid-pack.
• Game-by-game breakdown
• vs. Charlotte:
• Miami “doesn’t show up” and gets blown out.
• Charlotte stays hot, moves into 10th and within one game of the 9th-place Heat.
• vs. Lakers:
• Lakers arrive in Miami at 5 a.m. after a tough game vs. Houston but still out-tough the Heat.
• Older Laker team shows superior mental toughness, needing the win to stay ahead of Houston in the West.
• Heat repeatedly cut the lead to four but can’t get over the hump.
• at Houston:
• Bam Adebayo goes off: 32 points and 21 rebounds.
• Bam defends Kevin Durant well on the final possession, forcing a tough shot.
• Amen Thompson flies in from the elbow for a Derrick White–style putback to hand Houston a 123–122 gut-punch win.
• Power rankings and standings
• Heat fall to 8th in the East and 15th overall in Eric’s “only objective” top-10 power rankings system.
• Detroit, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City are “pulling away from everybody.”
• Cade Cunningham suffers a collapsed lung, tough news for Detroit.
• Standout stats and player notes
• Bam Adebayo
• Coming off an 83-point explosion vs. Washington, he doesn’t coast.
• Leads the team in points, pace, field goal attempts, and ties for the team lead in blocks for the week.
• Keisha (Kasad) Johnson
• Known to Heat fans from last year’s Summer League for a monster dunk vs. Boston.
• Steps in vs. the Lakers and leads the team in threes made and steals, and ties for the lead in blocks.
• Eric labels Johnson a “keeper.”
• Kel’el Ware
• Continues stacking solid performances and “contributing to winning.”
• Leads the team in total rebounds and offensive rebounds for the week.
• Eric notes how much his presence is missed vs. the Lakers and Rockets.
• Que
• Averages 6.5 assists this week, leading the team.
• Ranks second on the season in assists at 4.6 per game, behind Davion Mitchell.
• Marquee matchup segment – mentality and upcoming schedule
• Eric compares the post-Orlando Heat to Maverick after Goose’s death in Top Gun: shaken but still being “sent up” to get through it.
• Emphasis on mental toughness:
• Other teams want the win just as much—or a little more—than Miami.
• It’s not about lacking talent; it’s about who wants it more and who handles details better.
• Upcoming games:
• vs. Spurs (at Kaseya Center):
• Framed as a prime “get-right” opportunity.
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