There are no more ways to state the obvious, so Heat coach Pat Riley is resorting to an alternate form of communication.
``Read my lips,'' he said in the aftermath of Miami's 83-76 loss to Toronto. ``Put the ball in the basket.''
What sounds so simple is seemingly impossible for the 5-20 Heat. There are plenty of problems to pinpoint on this team -- sloppy play, a lack of chemistry and a clear disadvantage in the post being a few -- but nothing the Heat faces has proven more problematic than its inability to score.
The league's poorest offensive team was at it again Sunday at sold-out Air Canada Centre, shooting 38.9 percent, the third consecutive game Miami has shot under 40 percent. The Heat hit two of 12 three-point attempts, and just two players reached double figures -- barely. Forward Jim Jackson had 12 points, and guard Eddie Jones finished with 11.
The shortcomings are leading to some self-examination in the Miami locker room.
``We're beyond the point of sugar-coating things. Each and every player on the team has to look at his performance and decide if they're giving the team everything that they can give,'' said forward Brian Grant, who was 3 for 12 from the floor and scored eight points. ``First of all, you have to admit it. I guess that's what I'm doing right now, I'm admitting it, putting it out there. I'm telling you right now, you're not getting Brian Grant out there.
``You're not supposed to say those things about yourself, but you have to play,'' he added. ``I can tell you this and I can tell you that. But you can't leave the court feeling like this all the time. Like missing layups and everything. It's frustrating stuff.''
Said Riley: ``We just can't generate enough offensively. I thought that we were offered up an absolute ton of opportunities in the first half. I mean layups, open jump shots, free-throw opportunities. We just put too much pressure on our defense to keep stopping when you can't make routine shots. It's very disconcerting.
``We worked hard in practice, we changed some things and we tweaked some things and we tried to generate looks for guys. But players have to voluntarily step up and produce. Right now, over the last four games, we're just not getting enough production from enough guys to be competitive.''
Aside from Jackson (six field goals), no Heat player converted more than three shots from the floor. Jones, Miami's leading scorer, shot 3 for 8, Alonzo Mourning was 3 for 10 and reserve forward LaPhonso Ellis was 2 of 7.
That was not nearly enough to offset a vintage performance from Raptors forward Vince Carter, who posted a game-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double. Toronto, which didn't shoot particularly well either (42 percent), had four other players in double figures, including Dell Curry and Antonio Davis, who each finished with 12 points.
The Heat began with 20 points in the first quarter, playing Toronto tight at 21-20. But then came a 14-point second quarter that led to a 43-34 halftime deficit. By the end of the third quarter, the Heat had managed only 51 points. Soon, the Raptors' lead ballooned to 19 points.
There were times, though, when the Heat was within striking distance. Toronto began the second half with an 11-4 run to build a 16-point advantage. The Heat rallied behind Eddie House, who buried two straight jumpers and then delivered a nifty pass to a wide-open Jackson, who completed Miami's 6-0 run with a jumper of his own. Miami could not sustain its effort, though, and the lead was soon 16 again.
Carter hit three straight baskets to pad the Toronto lead, but the Heat chipped away again, getting to 65-55 with 9:48 left in the fourth quarter. Predictably, though, Miami could not extend its run and the Raptors went on to lead 78-59 five minutes later.
That prompted Riley to decide against bringing Mourning and starting point guard Rod Strickland back in after the two were replaced with 7:08 left in the third quarter. Riley said the game had gotten away from his team and it was pointless playing the exhausted Mourning any further.
Mourning also utilized the simple approach when asked how Miami could solve its offensive problems.
``Execute,'' he said. ``Then when the shots are there, you make them, plain and simple. I can't explain it any better than that.''
Ellis said Miami impeded its progress when opportunities arose.
``What happened is we started to make that run and we just turned the ball over too much,'' he said. ``And they have some great three-point shooters on their team, and we gave them too many good looks.''