15 mins of Heat! The Miami Heat are back in action, they host the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Miami Heat Network Host Tommy Tighe joins the show to discuss all things Heat! How does this team differ from other previous teams? Should the Heat go and win more games or lose to get a chance at 2 Lottery picks? Would Erik Spoelstra play these young players next season?
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00:00Oh, they doubted me, baby! Oh, they doubted me! Oh, they doubted me, Leroy! Oh, they doubted me!
00:14Look where I'm at. You see what's going on here?
00:18Yeah.
00:19Your boy had to go all the way to the Fort Lauderdale improv to make this happen.
00:24Some wouldn't have done this, you know?
00:26Sometimes people's computer gets hacked, and they just don't show up for the day.
00:31Or...
00:32Or...
00:33You got a green screen.
00:37True, it could be that. It could be that indeed.
00:39Hey!
00:40But...
00:41Yes?
00:42Can I just say this?
00:43Yeah.
00:48You are not allowed to do this ever again.
00:50Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You don't understand!
00:52The fact that I'm even here, the fact that I'm even making it here, this is an achievement.
00:56Sometimes, you know, you should have lost by 40, but you really only lost by 10.
01:00And that's what we like to call a moral victory, Leroy.
01:02No, it's not.
01:03You still lost.
01:05All right, that's fair.
01:06I will take that loss like a man and know that, you know, it's not about the last play, it's about the next play.
01:12And it's about the next man that we are about to have on our show right now.
01:17It is Tommy Tighe, our boy Tommy Tighe from the network broadcast, local broadcast.
01:25Over 40 years of experience within the radio industry.
01:30Tommy, how are you doing today, buddy?
01:32I feel old after you bring that up, but thank you, Marcus. I appreciate that.
01:3640 years of experience.
01:38That's why sometimes people call me a legend.
01:40The only reason I'm a legend is because I've been around so long.
01:43Well, that works.
01:44Age like fine wine, Tommy.
01:47I like to think so, but I begin to wonder every once in a while.
01:50But thank you very much for the compliment.
01:52It's nice to be on with you guys.
01:53So, Tommy, this past Tuesday was the best game that he'd have played in a long time, if not all year.
02:03As far as putting it all together.
02:06Nice mix of scoring and defense and really like putting it all together.
02:14This was the first time we have seen this in a long time.
02:17No question about it.
02:19I think you have to go back to the end of last month, Leroy, to be honest with you.
02:22When they laid it on Atlanta of all teams, since we're playing them again tonight, and Indiana.
02:27And you started thinking, hey, you got all these home games coming up and you're scoring.
02:31Then all of a sudden it just went south in both directions, offensively and defensively.
02:35So it's nice to see.
02:37I understand who was not in the lineup the other night, but we've gone through this so many times over the last few weeks.
02:41Kawhi Leonard didn't show up.
02:43Jalen Brown didn't show up in different games.
02:45You lost to those teams pretty convincingly.
02:47In a game like this, you had to come out there and play the way that you did.
02:50You know who you were up against, and you're right.
02:52I think at least in a while, this is one of the better all-around games this team is capable of.
02:56Now they've just got to do something with it.
02:58You can't go out there and lay an egg tonight and then play against these lousy teams coming up on the road trip
03:02and expect to do anything if you're going to get to the play into the playoffs.
03:06But, yeah, it's a nice start.
03:08There's no question about it.
03:09They're playing well over this week.
03:10They've got to keep it up.
03:11Would you say that this Heat team is probably more unique than any of the teams that Spoh has had
03:24because in the last two years, there's been so much youth injected into this team,
03:32and you kind of really can't coddle them like you want to because you need them to play,
03:40and you're relying on a lot of these young guys to play,
03:44and that's probably what has been part of the problem is that we're doing old-time Heat stuff,
03:49but we don't have those veteran players that we normally had.
03:55It's interesting.
03:56That's a valid point, I think, Leroy, to be honest with you.
03:58When you think of Khalil Ware in the beginning of the season not getting any time,
04:02and a lot of us wondered, and I'm sure you guys did as well,
04:05when the heck is this kid going to see the floor?
04:07You drafted him number one.
04:08You're telling me he's not ready?
04:09Is that why in November and early December he wasn't playing?
04:13And now you've got to live with him, and this is a kid that's making mistakes,
04:16playing well lately.
04:17Give him credit.
04:18The last four games, he's had double doubles, putting points on the board,
04:21grabbing rebounds, which is great to see.
04:23There's no question about it, but if you're going to rely on youth,
04:27you know how often Pat Riley went with rookies?
04:29Let's say he told them to never.
04:31That's the way you have to look at it.
04:33As you watch the Marlins go out on the field today,
04:36I'm not saying every one of them is a rookie, but you look at that batting order
04:39and it's like back in the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid movies,
04:42Lord Baltimore was chasing after the guys, and all of a sudden they said,
04:45who are these guys?
04:46That's what Paul Newman and Robert Rever were saying.
04:49That's what I'm wondering about when you're playing young players.
04:52The average guy doesn't know who they are.
04:54People in our business don't have an idea really what to expect from them,
04:57but that's what you're hoping for when you bring in a Jaime Hawkins
05:00in his second year and his Niko Jovic, who's really improved
05:03and unfortunately has been out of the lineup for a while.
05:05But you live and die with youth, and unfortunately they're very talented,
05:08but raw in certain areas that it's tough to try to –
05:12and you played professional sports.
05:14You would understand what it's like when you had a bunch of young guys
05:16trying to do something.
05:18Sure, they've got an awful lot of ability, but it only translates on the field,
05:22and that's where anybody cares about it.
05:24Right now we're still seeing some spots where it looks good,
05:27and there's still some spots that we noticed in that 10-game losing streak
05:30that it's not, but at the rate it's going right now, get used to it
05:33because I think they're going to continue to go with these young guys
05:35down the stretch.
05:38I mean, one of the things that I've seen in sports in general
05:45is that when you draft guys, and you can see this in football
05:50with quarterbacks, right?
05:53Everybody's playing their young guys because in three years or in two years,
05:59you need to know whether you can give this guy an extension.
06:03And what's happening in basketball, especially with the Heat,
06:07guys don't really play the first couple years.
06:10Then you've got to make that big decision in year three and four,
06:14and I don't know how sure they are all the time.
06:18Would you think, like, I'm all for,
06:21and this is just the way I've seen sports kind of evolve,
06:26I'm all for looking at teams like Detroit and you look at Houston.
06:32They play their young guys and say, we're going to take our lumps.
06:35But in two or three years, we're going to know what we have,
06:38and we're going to be able to kind of solidify what they can and can't do.
06:43And I think sometimes the Heat get a little lost
06:46in that we get to year three and four and we've got to figure out,
06:51are we going to give this guy an extension?
06:53Are we going to let him go?
06:55And there's a whole lot of uncertainty when we get to year three, four.
06:59Well, you're looking at a different situation
07:01when you're looking at Houston and Detroit.
07:03They're not accepting losing.
07:05I'm not saying that they are, but to build with the players that they did,
07:09yeah, you're going to have to expect a few losses.
07:11Do you think at 601 Biscayne Boulevard,
07:13anybody here is thinking of losses,
07:16that they're going to decide to go with Pella Larson more often
07:20than they have over the course of the season
07:22to see if they have something in three years?
07:24Tyler Hero is a prime example of that.
07:26Fabulous when he first showed up in the bubble.
07:28And then the next year he comes off the bench
07:30and he's the sixth man of the year.
07:32You do get to that point, you're right.
07:34Extremely talented player,
07:36but where do you build those next three years after that with him?
07:39They've decided that they're going to build their boat and put him in it.
07:42Same with Bam in a Biome.
07:44It works with certain guys and with others it certainly doesn't.
07:48And that's the decision they're going to have to come up with
07:51with a few of their younger guys down the road.
07:53But I don't ever see this being a place
07:55that they're ever going to look like the Pistons have
07:58for the last 10, 11 years.
08:00Or the Rockets, accepting the fact since the bubble
08:03that that's all right, we're going to punt a few years and come back.
08:06Philly did it, Oklahoma City did it.
08:08Congratulations to the Thunder for being one of the best teams,
08:11if not the best team, in the game today.
08:13But I just don't see that ever happening here
08:15because the way this team has been built
08:17ever since Pat showed up here in 95,
08:19they're always going to play it this way.
08:21Not everybody loves it,
08:23but I think that's the way that you have to go with it
08:25because it's been so successful throughout all these years.
08:29Agreed.
08:31They're looking at these young guys
08:34and I can kind of sense it
08:37that, hey, look, we like you,
08:40we love what you do,
08:42but you're costing us games and you need to learn.
08:45My only, you know,
08:48the only question that I would have to that is
08:51that was always easy
08:53when you had the veteran guys that could come in
08:56and actually produce.
08:58But with the injuries and things of that nature,
09:03you're kind of backed into a corner
09:05of having to rely on a lot of these young guys.
09:08No question about it.
09:10I can go back to football that we both can relate to.
09:13The team that I root for, unfortunately, these days,
09:16which has a pretty good legacy, is the New York Giants.
09:18And over the last week or so,
09:20they picked up two quarterbacks that make you think,
09:22well, is this the future direction
09:24they're going to go with their franchise
09:26with Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson?
09:28I highly doubt it,
09:29which is telling me that if you draft a quarterback
09:32next month in the first round,
09:34what are you going to do with him?
09:35Is he going to be like a Patrick Mahomes
09:36or a Carson Palmer that's going to sit on the bench
09:38for a year and learn from these two guys?
09:40I mean, which direction do you want to go
09:42when you play with your young guys?
09:43Do you want to sit them like they were doing with Ware
09:45and say, okay, we'll come back next year
09:47and see if he can play?
09:48Or do you want to see him out there?
09:49I think most people wanted to see,
09:51what the heck do you have?
09:53That's what you got with Ware from day number one,
09:55when he finally got an opportunity.
09:57Everybody went in the month of January.
09:59Wow, look at this kid.
10:01Those lobs.
10:02How exciting is this?
10:03He can score.
10:04He can shoot.
10:05He can rebound.
10:06He can do a lot of good things.
10:07He blocks shots.
10:08Well, you wouldn't have known that
10:09if you kept them sitting there in a red shirt
10:11year the entire season.
10:12So I think, you know,
10:13you've got these new toys to play with.
10:15I think you have to use them,
10:17but yeah, you're right.
10:18I don't see,
10:19there's no Dwayne Wade walking through the door
10:20like Rick Pitino once said about his guys
10:22in the Celtic organization.
10:23I don't see LeBron walking through this door
10:25and continuing to play with this franchise.
10:27That's the unfortunate thing that you have.
10:29Times change.
10:30Players change.
10:32Unfortunately, you know,
10:33some teams decide to do it in one way
10:35and other teams will do another way in all sports.
10:37Miami is consistent in what they like to do
10:40with their franchise.
10:41Play the best players they have
10:43in an attempt to try to get to the best spot.
10:45It worked a couple of years ago.
10:47They came in eighth.
10:48Everybody gave them up for dead.
10:49And look what happened.
10:50They made a run at the end that was phenomenal.
10:52Who's to say that it won't happen again?
10:54I'm not going to be the guy to do that
10:55after I've seen it once.
10:57It's not easy to do.
10:58We know that,
10:59but I get the feeling that
11:00since it's worked for how long,
11:01and I'm an old school guy,
11:02it's worked for 30 years.
11:04Why will it not work this time?
11:06I get the feeling that
11:07maybe it won't this time right at this year,
11:09but it will consistently be the formula
11:12that will work for this franchise.
11:22And if I could read lips, Tommy,
11:25I would tell you what he said.
11:29I said,
11:30I apologize,
11:31I pulled a Tobin,
11:32that we've seen Jimmy Butler
11:34underwhelming in his return.
11:35We've seen,
11:36unfortunately,
11:37the blood clots that are plaguing
11:39Dame Lillard at the moment.
11:40It's easy to talk about all the times
11:42that Pat Riley has missed.
11:45Now,
11:46being a Monday morning quarterback
11:48and looking at things in retrospect,
11:50getting a full account of all things.
11:54Do you think that Pat Riley deserves
11:56an apology from Heat Nation?
11:59I don't think he minds what happens
12:01because he understands the job
12:03and there will be criticism.
12:04But you look back to what this franchise was,
12:06and I wasn't living here.
12:07I'll be honest with you guys.
12:08I was living up in the New York area
12:10and up there,
12:11they kind of looked at the Miami Heat
12:12as just another team
12:13that nobody thought anything of
12:15until he left the Knicks to come down here.
12:17You went,
12:18uh-oh,
12:19once you know that that's going to happen
12:21and these people can feel it.
12:22The ones that have been around here
12:24since 1995 felt it.
12:26They knew excellence was coming
12:27into this franchise
12:28the moment he would walk in the door.
12:30So,
12:31I'm not going to be the guy
12:32that's going to sit there
12:33and try to tell anybody
12:34how to build their franchise.
12:35This has been built the way it's been
12:38that it's one of the most successful ones
12:40over the last three decades
12:41for one reason,
12:42and his name is on the court out there.
12:44I don't think he,
12:45he doesn't care if he gets an apology,
12:46I don't think.
12:47I mean,
12:48he goes to the beat of his own drummer.
12:50You know,
12:51if he makes mistakes,
12:52heck,
12:53I'm probably going to make mistakes today.
12:55Tonight,
12:56Saturday at the Philly game,
12:58on Heat Weekly,
12:59we all are capable of making mistakes.
13:02I will make my share of them over time.
13:04We all do.
13:05He's human.
13:06I'm human.
13:07You guys are.
13:08So,
13:09I don't think he needs an apology like that.
13:10He knows what he's done for these people.
13:12He knows what his standard is
13:14of excellence from the Lakers to the Knicks
13:17to this point right now.
13:18I don't think he has to apologize
13:20or accept an apology for anybody.
13:23I think these are the times where
13:25you look at,
13:26and I,
13:27and,
13:28and I can say it
13:30because
13:31it's 100% accurate,
13:33but
13:34you see some of the moves that they make
13:37and
13:38even though they're not winning as much as you want,
13:40like,
13:41you look at the results
13:42and look at the end
13:43result,
13:44even though you weren't happy when it was happening
13:46and you go,
13:47okay,
13:48I can see it.
13:49You know,
13:50I can,
13:51I can be happy.
13:52Maybe the team isn't where I want it to be,
13:54but that decision,
13:56we were better off
13:58making it,
13:59making that decision or,
14:00or,
14:01or doing it that way,
14:02even though it may,
14:04you know,
14:05it,
14:06it may hurt a little bit.
14:07Um,
14:08I think that's how I am.
14:09Like with,
14:10with Pat Riley,
14:12is that
14:13sure.
14:14We all wanted Dane.
14:15Sure.
14:16There was some that said,
14:17you know,
14:18if you don't pay
14:19Jimmy,
14:21he's going to be
14:22a problem.
14:24Um,
14:25and Pat stood,
14:26you know,
14:27stood stead and said,
14:28no,
14:29no,
14:30I'm not,
14:31I'm not,
14:32I'm not giving him an extension.
14:34And so all that stuff played out.
14:36But when you look at it now,
14:38and,
14:39and I,
14:40I said this time,
14:41he,
14:42Jimmy
14:43being the number one
14:45on
14:46the Warriors
14:48kind of looked like the heat
14:50when he was here
14:51at times
14:53when they just didn't score.
14:55And,
14:56and so
14:57if I can see that
14:59maybe there's some,
15:00maybe Pat was like,
15:01no,
15:02no,
15:03no,
15:04we need,
15:05we need scoring.
15:06We need somebody who's going to actually,
15:07you know,
15:08take the reins and,
15:09and,
15:10and be that
15:11bonafide number one,
15:12kind of like Tyler's trying to do now,
15:14but now you got
15:15Wiggins who
15:16has been amazing when he's played.
15:19And,
15:20and so you kind of look at the results and go,
15:24even though I'm not happy with the results,
15:26I can see where this is going.
15:28And,
15:29and you got to kind of feel good about that.
15:32Even though the team isn't where you want it to be right now.
15:36No,
15:37I agree with you.
15:38I think that,
15:39you know,
15:40if you're a heat fan,
15:41you're probably a little bit disappointed over what's gone on over the course of the season.
15:44But,
15:45you know,
15:46you just have to look at what the track record is for what this team has done in the past.
15:51Sure.
15:52I know it's a,
15:53it's a,
15:54what have you done for me lately type of business in sports?
15:56I understand it wholeheartedly.
15:58I root for some of these teams that haven't won in an awful long period of time.
16:02This is one that you keep thinking that every single time you step on the floor,
16:05you're going to get what you're going to get from them,
16:08whatever effort it's going to be.
16:10I think they've done well in the last week,
16:13showing that there is some potential for what could happen over the course of the remainder of the season.
16:18But,
16:19you know,
16:20that doesn't make you feel any better when the record is 10 games under the 500 mark.
16:23But,
16:24it's been a crazy year.
16:25There's no question in anybody's mind.
16:27Injuries do play a part in it.
16:29Transactions will play a part of it.
16:31I think everybody's done the best they possibly can with what they have.
16:34But,
16:35you know,
16:36I can understand anybody being frustrated,
16:38including the players and the coaches for what's happened.
16:40But,
16:41you know,
16:42play the way that it is.
16:43Play tonight.
16:44Play this weekend.
16:45See what happens after that.
16:46And,
16:47you know,
16:48I just get the feeling that you're going to be in a decent position down the road.
16:52Whatever that's going to be,
16:53whoever you're going to get,
16:54whoever you're going to keep.
16:55I just like the position that you're in,
16:57because you have the people running the show that know how to run a show.
17:01Tommy,
17:02well,
17:03I watched Spall on the sidelines.
17:05And,
17:06he just looks like,
17:08just so frustrated at times.
17:12But,
17:13then I started thinking,
17:14what was more frustrating for Spall,
17:16you think?
17:18Was it the 11 and 30,
17:20and then 30 and 11 team?
17:23Or,
17:24this team that just has lost games.
17:30And,
17:31at the end of the game,
17:32everybody just stands looking at each other going,
17:33how did this happen?
17:36Well,
17:37I can't gauge anybody's level of frustration,
17:39to be honest with you.
17:40But,
17:41to answer the question,
17:42to this point,
17:4311 and 30,
17:44they just didn't have the horses to do anything.
17:47I think this team is much better than the 11 and 30 group,
17:50even though that team turned it up a notch in the second half of the year,
17:53and played the way that they did.
17:54This team,
17:55from top to bottom,
17:56is a much better club than that club was.
17:59So,
18:00I can't answer,
18:01I can't speak for anybody else,
18:02can't speak for you guys,
18:03or for anybody here in the organization.
18:05But,
18:06you'd have to be frustrated when,
18:08you know,
18:09you think you can play a certain way,
18:11and you're not playing up to the capabilities with the roster that you have.
18:15And,
18:16a lot of it's trying to get,
18:17at least in the last few weeks,
18:18getting everybody up to speed that just joined the club.
18:20It's not very often that three players come to your team at the trading deadline.
18:25A couple years ago,
18:26you had two.
18:27Love and Zeller.
18:28Last year,
18:29you had Rozier.
18:30Integrate one guy into the lineup,
18:31okay,
18:32that's,
18:33it's tough.
18:34You try to put two into the lineup,
18:35yeah,
18:36that's a little bit tougher.
18:37Three into the lineup,
18:38you're expecting one of the more popular players in the team's recent history.
18:42Yeah,
18:43that's extremely tough.
18:44So,
18:45I can understand when it's not working.
18:46Whatever I'm doing,
18:47if it's not working,
18:48you get frustrated that it's not working.
18:50I'm sure you guys do when you're doing what you're doing for a living.
18:53And,
18:54you know,
18:55I can't really say that one year was worse than the other,
18:57because I never look back at any one year and just say,
19:00oh man,
19:01that year was terrible.
19:02We didn't make the playoffs.
19:03Hey,
19:04that year was great.
19:05It's obvious.
19:06We won championships.
19:07It's going to happen in both ways.
19:08I don't know for sure,
19:10you know,
19:11how Eric feels right now,
19:12but I do know that he likes what he has at his disposal right now.
19:16And he's extremely optimistic from what I hear over the last couple games of
19:20what this group is capable of in being competitive down the stretch.
19:23Tommy,
19:25one more before we get you out of here.
19:28We went from one losing streak to the beginning of a very short winning
19:33streak as of now.
19:34Does this mean that we are poised for another play in,
19:38or do you think that this team,
19:41although getting these last two victories still hasn't figured it out and we
19:46should just be counting ping pong balls as of right now?
19:49No,
19:50I never go that way to be honest with you.
19:52I think that you're looking at what's going to happen.
19:54You're going to be playing another game.
19:56Now,
19:57whether you're going to somehow make it to the 60,
19:59that's asking an awful lot considering how well Detroit is battling Milwaukee
20:03for fifth.
20:04So I get a feeling that yes,
20:05you're going to continue to be playing basketball after April the 13th.
20:09Now,
20:10whether it's one game,
20:11two games,
20:12or maybe even nine games,
20:13if you get to the first round against Cleveland,
20:15I mean,
20:16that's the optimum goal,
20:17at least right now,
20:18what you have at this point,
20:19but I'm not thinking anything.
20:21I don't think there's anybody sitting in this building right now.
20:24Even the guy that's mopping the floor over to my immediate right,
20:26right now,
20:27that's going to tell you that he's given up on the season that we're going to
20:30start looking to try to get the number one pick.
20:32I think everybody looks at it the same realistic way that this team is capable
20:36of a run right now.
20:37You win tonight's game.
20:38I know it's not saying an awful lot,
20:39but you've beaten this team by scoring 131 points against them.
20:42You've got Philadelphia,
20:43Washington,
20:44pretty much given up on the season after that.
20:46Some competitive games in the last couple of weeks,
20:49but still,
20:50if you can continue to put some type of a role together,
20:52I think you'll do well in the play and get to the first round where it goes
20:55after that.
20:56I can't even fathom myself.
20:57I'm taking it one step at a time,
20:59but I don't think they're looking at anything other than the fact of playing
21:02more basketball in the middle of April.
21:04Tommy,
21:05I appreciate you giving us your time.
21:07I know you got to shoot around in a little bit.
21:09I want to ask one thing of you.
21:13Never change.
21:14Never change.
21:15Tommy.
21:16You reach a certain age,
21:19Marcos.
21:20You can't change whether you want to or not.
21:22Well,
21:24I think you guys,
21:25when you get older.
21:26Oh,
21:28I'm already on the back nine.
21:30Tommy,
21:31I ain't got,
21:32there's not much left.
21:35Now,
21:36you don't,
21:37you don't look at the internally,
21:38right?
21:39Come on.
21:40Don't go there.
21:41Yeah.
21:42You're still young.
21:43Leroy.
21:44Ladies and gentlemen,
21:45he is Tommy tiger.
21:46You can catch him during the heat broadcast tonight.
21:49We take on the Hawks.
21:50You got them on the,
21:51you'll catch them on the network,
21:52the local,
21:53the network posts,
21:54the local posts,
21:55any possible way that you can listen to he basketball.
21:57He weekly,
21:58of course,
21:59every Saturday.
22:00Thank you again for joining us,
22:01Tommy.
22:02And for those.