The run was great while it lasted, but the quest to come back from a 5-23 record  to make the playoffs officially expired with last night?s loss to Boston.  

''The bottom line is we didn't get it done on the court, and I played a part in that,'' said Alonzo Mourning. ``It hasn't really hit home with me yet. I feel [it's a playoff team] with the personnel we have. All you can say is it won't happen again next season and not start the season spotting teams the way we did.''

''We hold them to 70, and we can't win,'' added Heat coach Pat Riley.  ``We have the best defense in the league, and we can't shoot the ball. It has been an ongoing problem all year. I believe it's a playoff team, but our record says we're not. We put ourselves in this position a long time ago. We played our hearts out. It wasn't meant to be.''

''I'm still not believing it,'' guard Eddie Jones said``It hasn't hit me yet.''

In the end it was too much of the same old low-scoring Heat which bit the team in the butt, nine points in the fourth quarter of a must-win game sealing their fate.