NBA Report Cards: Celtics pass with flying colors; Warriors lack an identity

Miami Heat

Regular season grade: C

After making a surprise run to the NBA Finals last year, the Miami Heat needed to find that one final piece that could potentially take them over the top. However, last offseason, that didn't exactly come together for the Heat. Instead of landing a final piece of a championship puzzle, the Heat ran into headache after headache and ultimately ended up empty-handed in their pursuits for another star.

Nevertheless, there was still at least some hope that the Heat would be able to take another step forward in the progression. After all, Tyler Herro did miss the majority of last year's playoff run, and perhaps he could emerge as a significant difference-maker for the team this season after another step forward in his individual game.

At least thus far, that hasn't been the case for the Heat. Miami has managed to look worse as the season has gone on and heading into their NBA playoff run, it's hard to feel any level of confidence surrounding this team. Overall, it's been a pretty forgetful year for the Heat and you can't help but wonder what might await this team in the offseason if they suffer an early playoff exit.