My friend, Tommy O, brought up the point that the Heat look like they have been throwing games in the past couple weeks. At first, I balked at the idea that my team is officially throwing in the towel, but I think he’s onto something. He noted that with a few minutes left against the Lakers last week, the Heat shortened the deficit to six points, only pull out Wade and Marion and get smashed.

Then, after having a huge third quarter lead against the Kings, the Heat ended up getting blown out.

Okay, whatever, the Heat are out of playoff contention and have nothing to play for except the top pick of the draft next season. But then Riley decides to come out with this quote:

”I should write a check tomorrow to each season-ticket holder and send them back [their money] at least for tonight,” Riley said. “I should write the check back because I can’t get them to play hard. They have a tendency to give in and not hold their ground, we’ve seen that a lot this year but you can’t do that at home. I have to ferret out the guys who really don’t care, I have to ferret them out of here and put them on the bench and bring in a bunch of young guys.”

I’ve been to probably eight games this season, with tickets costing an average of $40 (none of which I paid for), but I would be more than happy to accept a $320 losers rebate from Riles.

I get throwing games. The Heat want that number 1 pick. I also agree that a handful of guys on the team don’t give two craps about winning (Ricky Davis and Jason Williams to name a couple). But if you’re going to pretend that it’s those select few players who are currently losing games, when it’s clear that the coaching has been a major factor of the losses as well, please don’t bull shit the fans like this.