Heat ‘aired it out’ in team meeting after loss to Celtics

The Miami Heat are only five games into the season, but apparently they don’t like what has been going on so far.

Heat co-captain James Johnson said on Sunday that the players had a fiery meeting after a loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

“We had our discussions this morning,” said Johnson, per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “We aired it out this morning. A lot of people took heat. I think it was the best thing for us to do, even more important than film. That’s what this culture is about, that’s what we’re about — staring guys in the eyes, telling guys the truth and that’s how you show you really love somebody.”

The defeat to the Celtics dropped the Heat to 2-3 on the season. While Hassan Whiteside has been out since the season-opener with a knee injury, and top guard defender Rodney McGruder will be sidelined for the rest of the calendar year with a stress fracture in his leg, the slow start is all too reminiscent of the putrid 11-30 start that the Heat had to last season. The good news though is that the team seems to respond well to being challenged, so their next chance to turn it around will come on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.