Heat Shade Suns Over 2024-25 NBA Schedule Release Meme, Empty Seats Photo

The Miami Heat fired back at the Phoenix Suns after the team took shots at Miami's home attendance during the schedule release on Thursday.

The Suns' schedule announcement on X included playful jabs at opponents such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers. When it came to the Heat, Phoenix called out the crowd at the team's home games.

The Heat responded in their own post on X, showing the average home attendance for every NBA team in 2024. Miami ranked No. 4, while Phoenix ranked No. 25.

The Suns didn't have much to say about Miami's rebuttal.

While Heat fans have proven that they can fill up the Kaseya Center on a nightly basis, attendance throughout the first quarter of many home games is often sparse. In fact, Jimmy Butler brought up the issue in a June 27 video with Complex.

"The worst part, to me, our fans never show up on time," Butler said. "They never show up on time. I was like, 'Damn. I want it to be rocking from like, the jump ball.' Fans, come on, we need y'all."

Butler and Bam Adebayo have helped Miami experience a constant string of success, as the team is currently in the midst of a five-year playoff streak. This includes multiple trips to the NBA Finals, with the most recent occurring against the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

While the Heat weren't able to make any major offseason splashes despite reported interest in DeMar DeRozan and Lauri Markkanen, they'll still enter the 2024-25 season as a postseason threat in the Eastern Conference.

Miami will rely on internal contributions instead, with Nikola Jović and Jaime Jaquez Jr. expected to play larger roles next season. The Heat also added veteran Alec Burks in free agency, with the 33-year-old shooting 37.6 percent from behind the arc throughout 66 games with the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks last year.

While Miami's fans may arrive late to some games, the team's overall home attendance still represents one of the highest averages in the association.