Kyle Lowry laments ‘a waste of a year’ in first season with Heat

Kyle Lowry considers his first season with the Miami Heat a “waste of a year” because they didn’t make it to the NBA Finals.

Getting to the Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t good enough for Kyle Lowry. He won’t be happy until he’s playing in the NBA Finals again.

The Heat guard said as much after Miami was bounced from the playoffs in Game 7 against the Celtics on Sunday night.

While Boston advanced to the Finals to take on the Warriors with a 100-96 victory, Lowry and company have to go home, lick their wounds and wait for next year.

Kyle Lowry laments ‘a waste of a year’ in first season with Heat

“It was a waste of a year,” Lowry said. “If you’re not playing for a championship, it’s a waste of a year.”

The first part of that quote out of context may sound harsh, but it’s clear Lowry is simply expressing his competitive nature. He went to Miami to compete for titles. The Heat were the No. 1 seed in the East but injuries, lack of depth, fatigue and offensive question marks took their toll.

In Game 7, Lowry had 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. However, he was 1-of-6 from beyond the arc on a night when the Heat couldn’t seem to get hot from deep. Jimmy Butler was the bright spot with 35 points but even he missed the critical go-ahead three-point attempt when it mattered.

Lowry missed some time in the postseason with a hamstring issue. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists on the floor.