Frustration is beginning to set in for the Miami Heat as the team realizes they aren't as much of a contender in the Eastern Conference as they expected at the onset of the season. Coach Erik Spoelstra has become more nonplussed each day and less afraid to express his displeasure. After a dismantlement at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, Spoelstra spoke out against his team's effort, which included shots at specific instances of uninspired play from the Heat.

Spoelstra rips into his team

The Heat fell to the Indiana Pacers - expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season - by 25 points, 120-95.

That the rout came at home was an even bigger embarrassment to the team. When Spoelstra reached his press conference following the tilt, it was clear that he was at his breaking point with this team. He drew a distinction between the "inspiring" effort the team gave earlier in the week at the Washington Wizards, directly implying that he thought the team was uninspiring.

That was just the start of a rant, though. He continued to call out his team's effort as he tersely lit into his team before suggesting that a fix would come, one way or another.

In a separate statement to South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman, Spoelstra also called out the team's inability to perform in the third quarter, where the Heat have fallen apart time and again this campaign.

Fixing the Heat

The Heat don't look as bad as they did when they started the season 10-31 last year.

But they flipped that season in the second half, salvaging a .500 record and suggesting that hope would come in bigger doses during the 2017-18 campaign. To that end, Spoelstra and the Heat brass didn't make many changes to the roster, choosing to retain key free agents and stay the course.

This season, Miami is just 7-9, although the loss to the Pacers could easily be deemed the only embarrassing failure for a single game this year.

The team's offense is near the bottom rungs of the NBA, averaging just 100.3 points per game, led by Goran Dragic's 18.3 points per game. Their biggest issue is holding on to the ball, however, as they are just one of five teams averaging at least 16 turnovers per game; Dion Waiters is the biggest offender, coughing up possession 3.1 times per game.

Spoelstra is the kind of coach who can turn around this sinking ship in a hurry. He just needs to get the Heat players to buy in to making the necessary changes to save a season.
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