Run It Back – NBA Week in Review Miami Heat Week 22 Recap (2025–26 Season)
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.
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.
- Miami “doesn’t show up” and gets blown out.
- 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.
- Lakers arrive in Miami at 5 a.m. after a tough game vs. Houston but still out-tough the Heat.
- 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.
- Bam Adebayo goes off: 32 points and 21 rebounds.
- vs. Charlotte:
- 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.
- Heat fall to 8th in the East and 15th overall in Eric’s “only objective” top-10 power rankings system.
- 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.
- Coming off an 83-point explosion vs. Washington, he doesn’t coast.
- 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.”
- Known to Heat fans from last year’s Summer League for a monster dunk vs. Boston.
- 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.
- Continues stacking solid performances and “contributing to winning.”
- 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.
- Averages 6.5 assists this week, leading the team.
- Bam Adebayo
- 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.
- Other teams want the win just as much—or a little more—than Miami.
- Upcoming games:
- vs. Spurs (at Kaseya Center):
- Framed as a prime “get-right” opportunity.
- Eric hopes the Heat return home still stung from the Houston loss and hungry for redemption.
- Framed as a prime “get-right” opportunity.
- at Cavaliers (two games in Cleveland, Wednesday and Friday):
- Last year’s first-round playoff loss to Cleveland still hangs over Miami “like an anchor.”
- Eric references the infamous 55-point loss and stresses the need to exorcise that memory.
- Miami hasn’t seen Cleveland since the start of the season; series is currently 1–1, and Cleveland rides a three-game winning streak.
- Last year’s first-round playoff loss to Cleveland still hangs over Miami “like an anchor.”
- vs. Spurs (at Kaseya Center):
- 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.
- Viral pressure / full-court segment
- Knicks T-Mobile commercial shout-out:
- Features John Starks, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Patrick Ewing, and Josh Hart.
- Eric, a self-described eternal Heat fan who “can’t stand” the ’99 Knicks, still calls the ad great and praises the Knicks and Celtics as “the best enemies you could ever have.”
- Features John Starks, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Patrick Ewing, and Josh Hart.
- Knicks T-Mobile commercial shout-out:
- Injury and availability notes
- For the Heat:
- Jaquez (Ja) and Norman Powell are day-to-day.
- Andrew Wiggins remains out with a left leg contusion and knee issues.
- No timetable yet for Wiggins’ return, and his defense and scoring are sorely missed.
- Jaquez (Ja) and Norman Powell are day-to-day.
- For the Heat:
- Big-picture East outlook
- Despite the four-game losing streak, the gap is razor-thin.
- Only one game separates the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th seeds, with Atlanta currently in 6th.
- With injuries and streakiness across the conference, games are coming down to details and mental edge more than raw talent.
- Despite the four-game losing streak, the gap is razor-thin.
Notable Quotes (Paraphrased)
- “The Heat are falling like a rock, down to eighth in the East and 15th overall.”
- “Bam didn’t rest on his 83-point game—he came right back and led the team everywhere.”
- “It’s not that the Heat don’t have enough talent. It’s that the other teams want it just a little bit more.”
- “That loss in Cleveland is still hanging over them like an anchor around their neck.”
Episode Metadata (Suggested)
- Title: Run It Back – Heat Week 22: Tough Lessons, Bam’s Monster Week, and a Gut-Punch in Houston
- Host: Eric Labrador (@ ThePeachBasket.net)
- Show: Run It Back – NBA Week in Review (Heat Edition)
- Season: 2025–26 NBA Season
- Week Covered: Week 22
Suggested Timestamps
You can tweak these timestamps once you have exact timing from the audio:
- 00:00 – Intro, show format, and context for Week 22
- 00:40 – Cycling metaphor and overview of a winless week
- 01:10 – Blowout loss to Charlotte and standings impact
- 01:50 – Lakers game: fatigue narrative flipped, mental toughness lesson
- 02:40 – Houston game: Bam’s 32–21, Durant defense, and Derrick White–style putback
- 03:20 – Power rankings and the Heat’s slide in the East
- 03:50 – Cade Cunningham injury note and top of the league landscape
- 04:10 – Standout stats: Bam, Keisha Johnson, and Kel’el Ware
- 05:00 – Assist leaders: Que and Davion Mitchell
- 05:20 – Top Gun analogy and Heat mentality
- 05:50 – Spurs preview and redemption opportunity at home
- 06:20 – Two-game Cleveland trip and haunting playoff memories
- 07:00 – Viral pressure: Knicks T-Mobile commercial love–hate
- 07:40 – Injury updates: Jaquez, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins
- 08:10 – Eastern Conference logjam: seeds 6–9 separated by one game
- 08:40 – Final thoughts on mental toughness and closing for Week 22
Eric: [00:00:00] Week 22 of the 20 25, 26 NBA season is over, which means it's time to run it back. This is run it back NBA Week in Review, heat edition. I'm Eric Labrador at thePeachBasket.net covering the Miami Heat. This is the show where we recap the week that was in the NBA and then highlight the marquee matchup for the week to come for the Miami Heat.
For the heat, week 22 was really bad. They did not win a game. They had three games and using a metaphor of cycling race, the heat on their seven game winning streak at, with the front pack, rolling with the front pack, seven game winning streak. Then all of a sudden after the game against Orlando, they started to lose speed and then they got eaten up.
By the mid-pack. Miami did not show up to play against [00:01:00] Charlotte on Tuesday night and got blown out of the gym completely. Charlotte is hot. They are 10th now in one game behind Miami, which is in ninth place. Then on Thursday, the, he couldn't take advantage of a Laker squad that had played a tough game against Houston.
Wednesday night they got into. South Florida into Miami at 5:00 AM The heat fought the Lakers. The Lakers pulled the head in the third quarter. They closed it always to within four, but the Lakers kept doing the things that they needed to do. They really taught at the heat a lesson on mental toughness.
The Lakers were, are an older team than the heap, but they knew that they had to stay ahead of Houston. In third in the Western conference, and they beat Miami. Then the heat last night played in Houston. They played fantastic Bam at a bio [00:02:00] 32 points, 21 rebounds and defended Kevin Garnett Kevin Durant and forced him into a bad shot, but bam, did not see Amen Thompson running in from the elbow.
And he gave a Derrick White like putback that allowed Houston to pull out the 1 23 to 1 22 win. It was a gut punch for sure. Now to our power ranking segment where we start with the only objective overall top 10 NBA power rankings anywhere. You can read more about how we get to these rankings and see the entire list@thepeachbasket.net.
The heat falling like a rock. They dropped to eighth in the east and 15th. Overall, the pistons, spurs, and thunder are just pulling away from everybody. It's poor news for Detroit as C Cunningham. This week was lost with a collapsed lung. He's a hell of a [00:03:00] player and hope he can make it back in our standout stats segment dam at a bio after his 83 point.
Game Against Washington. What does he do? Does he say, Hey look, I'm good man. This is I scored 83 points. I can rest on my laurels. No, he leads the team in points. Pace field goes attempted. He tied for the blocks lead with kalo wear and Keisha Johnson. Now everybody heat fans will remember Kha Johnson from last year's Summer League where he had a highlight dunk.
That if you haven't seen it, you gotta go into YouTube and Google or get Kasad Johnson's highlight dunk against the Celtics. He filled in this week against the Lakers and led the heat in threes, made steels and the tieing blocks. Kasad Johnson keeper and then Kal Ware [00:04:00] continuing to put goods.
Good days together, contribute to winning. He led in total rebounds and offensive rebounds during this week, and as always, his presence was missed against the Lakers and against Houston. Que led the team with six and a half assists average and his second on the team behind Davion Mitchell with 4.6 assist for the season
in our marquee matchup segment. The heat. Really after the magic loss, they're like Maverick, after Goose's death and Top Gun, if you've never seen the movie, definite watch, definite recommendation but they keep getting sent up. Keep sending him up. That's what Jester would keep saying with Maverick to shake him off out of Goose's death.
Same thing for the heat. They play the Spurs tomorrow night. They've been playing teams that. Coach [00:05:00] RA has been saying it, they want the win just as bad as the heat and the heat have to show mental toughness to want that win a little bit more. It's not that the heater playing bad, it's not that the heat don't have enough talent, they do.
It's just the other teams want it a little bit more. And that's the difference. And like I said, they play San Antonio tomorrow night at the Kaseya Center at. Great opportunity for Miami to get a good win against San Antonio. Hopefully the heater coming back, they're not feeling good about themselves.
They want a little redemption. They knew that they were supposed to win that game in Houston. So let's see what happens then. And once they, in Friday, they go to Cleveland. The loss, the playoff loss, the first round against Cleveland last year has been hanging over the heat. Like an anchor around [00:06:00] their neck.
They have to find a way to exercise that 55 point loss in the elimination game. I'm still disoriented from them. Maybe it wasn't 55 points in the elimination game. Maybe it was the game before they play 'em on Wednesday and Friday, so they're not going anywhere in Cleveland. It's like going in the thunder.
Do two man and one man leave. Miami hasn't played Cleveland since the start of the season. They're one in one in the season series, and Cleveland is on a three game winning streak. So to our viral pressure or full court segment before asking AI what they found out with Miami the Knicks have, I think it's a T-Mobile commercial, and I gotta say, it's great.
In this commercial, John Starks from the 1999 team, the NBA Finals team, Jalen [00:07:00] Brunson and Kat are hiking apparently to meet with Patrick Ewing and have a barbecue. They start going back and forth. Starks is Hey, you guys, you get to be my age. And it's get the hell outta here.
I'm still keeping up with you guys. Ewing calls on the video call. Josh Hart is there. He makes a goofy comment that he's making hor d'oeuvres or something like that. Then Brunson says, oh, I could really use a snack right about now. And Cat finds like a berry that's poisonous.
It was hilarious. That good for the Knicks. Even though I'm a, I'm an eternal Heat fan and I can't stand the 1999 team. The Knicks team that was fun. They're them and the Celtics are the best enemies that you could ever have to be. Other than that, moving on. Ja, Maha and Norman Power are day to day for the heat, and Andrew Wiggins continuing with the left contusion and a knee problem to miss time.
There's no timetable for his [00:08:00] return. That's what AI came up with scanning the internet. The heat. Ms. Andrew Wiggins, they miss his defense. They miss his scoring hope, hoping that he comes back for the play and tournament and the heat. Although they're on a four game losing streak, they have a chance to make up ground the distance between them and Atlanta, which is now the current six seat is one game, just one game separate.
The 6, 7, 8, and nine seat. Now it's just down. These games are down to details. There's everybody's injured. Some people could be on cold streaks, some people could be on hot streaks. It made a the Lakers had gotten in at 5:00 AM and they were still able to win the game. So really it's about mental toughness.
It's about how bad you want to win the game. That's it. That's the end of week 22. Join me for week 23 next week. [00:09:00] When we run it back, have a good day everybody.