New York's 116-96 thumping of Miami, which included 52 points by Jamal Crawford, dropped the Heat to 19-24, but the way Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade talked afterward at their lockers, it seems as if the defending champs are teetering on the edge of a full-blown crisis.

"I'm getting sick and tired of this ---. I've never been five games under .500 in my career. It's embarrassing," said O'Neal. "Now that I'm back, I guess I've got to get on some guys' (cases). I guess I've got to be the ugly man to get it done."

The 7-1 big man did not name Heat players he thought were slacking, but said his team was in a "funk" and that it was his "job as a leader to make sure everyone gets back on track."

Wade also was clearly irked about the team's slumping ways.

"I'm not a motivator. I've never been," Wade said. "Everybody's looking for me to come in and make a speech. It's not going to happen, man. I just try to go out there and play and hopefully my play speaks for itself.

"Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone's got to come in on both ends of the floor and play hard - have some pride about it. Something's gotta change. I'll leave it up to y'all's imagination."