Miami Heat, New York Knicks and 5 Early Sizzling-Hot Teams That Have Fizzled out

As the saying goes, it's not how you start, but how you finish. Some of the teams who started off well have cooled off considerably. Here are five teams that are fizzling out. 

I want to qualify this with mentioning that this is based on expectations. These are teams that were meeting or exceeding expectations to start the season but have come up short of them recently. That's not to say they aren't still "contenders." 

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash had the Phoenix Suns looking like they could be a surprise team to start the season, opening up with a 4-4 record. I'm not sure that actually qualifies as hot as the sun, but its hotter than we were thinking the Suns were going to be. 

Since then, they've gone 2-7, including a five-game losing streak where they lost the games by a combined total of 66 points. 

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers started off absolutely obliterating everyone in sight. Then they started playing teams with winning records. 

After starting 10-3, they are now 12-6, having dropped three of their last five. The 76ers are 2-4 against teams with winning records. They're blowing out the little guys, but having trouble thumping chests with the big boys.

With their schedule getting tougher now, it looks like they may taper off even more. 

New York Knicks

After their 6-4 start, which included four straight wins, it looked like the Knicks were finally getting things together.

While that was a bit of a disappointing start, compared to they way they've been playing, that's liquid hot. 

The Knickerbockers have lost seven of their last eight, and four of their losses have been by at least nine points.

Granted, that's not going from hot to fizzling out. It's more like going from lukewarm to freezing cold, but it's the same principle. 

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland was tearing up the world to start the season, starting off 7-2. Since then, they've only won four of 10. They've easily been one of the more inconsistent teams this year and one of the hardest to figure out. 

For example, they destroyed Memphis by 13 points, ending the league's longest winning streak. Then the next night they ended the Golden State Warriors three-game losing streak, going down 101-93. 

These guys are like the weather in Texas. If you don't like the temperature in, wait five minutes; it'll change. 

Miami Heat

Miami Heat fans are going to call me a "hater" for putting them on here, but "Heat" is an anagram for "Hate" for a reason. (Actually, I'm not sure it is, but I thought I'd put that in there anyway.)

The fact is that after starting 5-0, the Heat are 13-5. If I'd told you after that 5-0 start they'd drop three straight, lose at home to Milwaukee and barely scrape past Detroit, you would have called me a hater for that, too. It's not hating if it's true. 

For how good they're supposed to be, the Heat have become the "Needs Another Minute in the Microwave." They're not quite hot, but they're not really cold either.