Basketball: Marks focusing on bright side as Heat struggle

The stress is showing and the cracks are appearing all over the place at the Miami Heat.

Pat Riley, president and head coach of the NBA franchise, is rattled.

His team have lost 16 of 21 games - including 12 in succession - for the worst start in Riley's illustrious career, which includes four NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

All that is bad news for New Zealander Sean Marks, who is facing the possibility of falling through one of the Heat's yawning cracks when the 15-man roster is cut by three on Tuesday (NZ time).

The North Shore 26-year-old made the Heat through the gruelling veteran and free agent summer training camps.

He has played 12 of the team's games, starting in six and averaging just under 20 minutes a game.

But ominously, as Riley restricted the rotation to his top eight players in an effort to find a winning formula, Marks was on the bench in the past five games.

"Any time you go into losses like that it's very stressful," Marks said.

"There's an extraordinary amount of stress people aren't aware of.

"It's not just physically but also mentally, especially through a period of losing like that."

Marks copes by trying not to take work home and, looking on the bright side, says his game has improved markedly.

His fate rests in Riley's hands and, however it pans out, Marks has nothing but admiration for the master motivator.

He said Riley took losses harder than some of the players.

"It's absolutely cut-throat, but that's the nature of this business. You just can't allow it to weigh you down or stick in the back of your mind. You have to use it as motivation, if nothing else."

He would still be available for the Tall Blacks' world championship campaign next August.

"But at this stage I'm not really focused on that. I need to be focused on my career here. Once I'm under an NBA contract I'm committed to the NBA.

"But in the off-season over here, absolutely.

"I will do everything I can to make sure I'm available for the Tall Blacks and I intend playing in the world championships next year for sure."

- NZPA