Voltar
The Miami Heat dropped to 0-2 on the season after consecutive defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons.
But it wasn’t just the Heat’s terrible defense against the Timberwolves that raised eyebrows, as cameras also caught NFL legend Chad Johnson watching the Heat’s loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, and NBA fans wasted no time turning his reaction into memes.
Johnson, better known as Ochocinco, a Miami native and longtime unofficial hype man for the Heat, was in the building for Wednesday’s loss.
A parody account mimicking his “Nightcap” co-host Shannon Sharpe, with more than 543,000 followers, posted a clip of Johnson’s reaction from his seat, and it quickly spread across NBA social media.
“That’s why they getting torched lol,” one fan quipped.
Another focused on Johnson’s apparent frustration, writing, “He looking salty af. No nightcap tonight.”
One fan brought in Giannis Antetokounmpo into the joke, commenting, “Rey cry they got blew tf out idk who face hurt more his or Greek freak.”
Others questioned whether Miami’s new-look roster would deliver the results fans expected. “Them YNS ain’t gonna do nothing tonight in Miami,” one user declared.
“Ocho jaw so tight,” another fan jested.
One fan even thanked the former NFL star for the viral moment, writing, “Thank you @ochocinco for the generational meme. Hope you enjoyed that belt in return.”
Johnson had plenty of reasons to be frustrated after a disappointing loss to open the season.
Heat’s big offseason splash, landing Antetokounmpo, has not come with the outcomes the team expected, as they have opened the season with back-to-back defensive collapses rather than the statement the franchise hoped to make.
In his debut during the Timberwolves clash, Antetokounmpo scored 35 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field and 9-of-14 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 6 rebounds and added 1 assist and 1 steal in 30 minutes.
However, the Greek Freak found little support from his Miami teammates, as Anthony Edwards’ 45-point outburst was enough to bury the Heat 131-106 in their season opener.
The former Milwaukee Bucks star did his part during the 128-111 loss to Detroit on Friday, finishing with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists on 15-of-26 shooting. But the supporting cast struggled to keep pace. Bam Adebayo, Miami’s defensive anchor, finished with just 4 points and fouled out of the game.
Klay Thompson, brought in to provide elite perimeter shooting, also had a difficult night against Detroit. He finished 2-of-11 from the field and 2-of-11 from three-point range, scoring just 6 points.
By the end of the third quarter, the home crowd was reportedly booing the team.
Through two games, Miami’s defense has looked nothing like the reliable unit usually associated with Erik Spoelstra’s teams.
Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the team had plenty to figure out, although he could not pinpoint exactly what was going wrong in the team’s 0-2 start.
“We know it’s here. I don’t know if it’s getting to know one another more now because it’s official games. I don’t know if it’s jitters,” he said. “We have to be better. It starts with myself.”
The defeat to Detroit marked only the eighth time in the franchise’s 39-year history that it opened a season 0-2, and it is hardly the start Miami envisioned.
And while Johnson’s courtside expression provided NBA fans with plenty of material, the Heat have a much bigger problem to solve before the jokes become a regular part of their season.