A lost Miami Heat season because of 13 losses

So what's been the problem?

It hasn't been the same against each, and that speaks to how far the Heat really are.

And it should force some major changes this summer, of many sorts.

Against the Celtics, the issue has been execution. Miami simply doesn't do it as well as the Celtics. Miami has hung in at times, even had some good quarters, but then Boston starts to spread them out and get the ball to its shooters, and the Heat are left scrambling.

The last meeting was a little different, in that the Celtics scorched the Heat for 51 in the first, and then Miami shot its way back into striking distance, before fading. The Heat will never be able to keep up with a team like this when its spacing and shooting is at maximum efficiency -- because even if it has a rare blistering night of its own from deep, it can't keep up with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum's ability to get easy ones in the paint.

And remember, this was supposed to be a gap year for Boston, until Tatum returned -- which wasn't even guaranteed. The Celtics handled the Heat without him three times.

The Heat have faced the Magic more times, the shared state residents aligned like close cousins. They opened the preseason against each other in Puerto Rico, they opened the regular season against each other in Orlando, they opened the NBA Cup elimination tournament against each other, also in Orlando. Including the preseason, the Heat have lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost, lost. But even if you only count the five regular season defeats, there's a troubling trend.

Both teams have been without key players in every matchup; but every time, the Heat tend to hang around, until they just can't hang with Orlando's overall height.

This manifested itself in many ways, notably Wendell Carter Jr's offensive rebounding exhibition in the regular season opener, which was a sign of things to come, and wasted an otherwise promising Heat season-opening performance. The Heat showcased their new fast-flowing offense in that contest, and while that propelled Miami to a 14-7 start, pace proved not to be enough as the season progressed, as the Heat wore down in games and over weeks as they were outsized at virtually every spot, nightly.

Then there was the Raptors' matchup, which was most lopsided of all (four losses by a total of 73 points, none of the games close, against a team that won just 30 games last season, not the two at home nor on the road). And that's where the Heat really need to look in the mirror and reach up.

They won't reach as high as the Raptors, for sure.

Toronto's advantages in athleticism and length were clearly apparent in every encounter, and that prevented the Heat from ever getting into comfortable offense. Lanes were clogged, shots were blocked, games were lost.

Four of them.

Thirteen in all.

Against just three teams.

And it will make for a long, hard five months, as the Heat need to do more than retool to be relevant again in their own conference. They lost 13, but they weren't unlucky. They were unworthy.