The Heat got away with a dub in Atlanta against the Hawks but almost lost the game, plus its dignity through regulation and two extra periods. The crew has Tyler Herro, Nikola Jović and Jimmy Butler mainly to thank.

They unlocked the offense early, too. Butler finished a layup and lob in transition, drove into the lane for a reverse scoop and converted four freebies. Jović downed a left-wing tray, pierced the paint to score on a slot cut and euro-stepped past Dejounte Murray in the square for a bucket. And Herro added seven points.

The hosts retaliated with 27 opening points on 56.5% accuracy. Most of the damage was perpetrated by backup big man Bruno Fernando, registering four shots in the restricted area. De’Andre Hunter also dribbled past Butler, pulling up for a 10-foot jumper inside the elbow and maneuvered to the left of Clint Capela’s screen, breaching the heart of the defense for two points.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat led 30-27 but were behind on the glass by three.

Next, the defense contained the Hawks to 34.8% shooting in the second quarter, mainly by shutting down Hunter on rim drives in single coverage plus contesting his deep tries.

On the Heat side, Herro tallied three more baskets in the paint and hoisted a successful jumper at the nail, set up by Bam Adebayo’s dribble handoff. Delon Wright contributed seven points. And the rest of the squad made five of 11 attempts in the period.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 59-47 but behind on the glass by four. The visitors had 26 paint points, five on the break, none via second chances, eight after turnovers and 13 from the bench.

The Hawks had 26 interior points, seven in the open court, six on extra tries, four after turnovers and 16 from the reserves.

Then the Heat’s offense jammed coming out of intermission. The Hawks stuck closely to the snipers, contesting cleanly and overwhelmed paint entries with swiping hands and an extra man.

Jović and Herro saved the Heat from discombobulation in the third as the only teammates to record multiple baskets.

On the Hawks’ side, Hunter cut back door for a layup, swished two 3-pointers, dribbled past Jović to hit an 11-foot shot and canned a jumper over Wright. And Jalen Johnson distributed six marks.

The frame ended with the match tied at 80 points.

Then Herro opened the fourth quarter with the Heat’s initial two baskets set up by Adebayo screens- a left-side floater and wing triple facing Fernando in drop coverage.

But the squad misfired its last six field goals in the closing four minutes of regulation as the Hawks supplied three out of seven buckets, but none more significant than Murray’s dash past Butler for a layup that Adebayo illegally swatted. That tied the game again, followed by a clumsy attempt by the Heat to claim the edge.

In the first extra period, the Heat disrupted deep shots and slowed down Murray, with Highsmith forcing him into two tough attempts at the nail and in the paint.

But the Heat failed to capitalize, logging only Jović and Highsmith’s three-pointers. Butler nearly gave away the game with a turnover. Murray recovered it, racing down court, yet Butler atoned for his error, not permitting a clean release.

In the second overtime, Herro checked Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović, forcing misses on their rim attacks. The Hawks made only two of 10 ventures the rest of the way, while Jović, Herro and Highsmith combined for 10 points.

The Heat won 117-111. It got outrebounded by 13 and had 44 paint points, 10 on the break, two via second chances, 13 after turnovers and 26 from the bench.

Herro tallied 33 points on 13 of 25 attempts, with five rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in his first start since hurting his foot on Feb. 23. Butler put 25 on his scorecard on 14 looks, with eight rebounds and nine dimes. And Jović produced 23 points on 66.7% accuracy, with eight rebounds and one assist.

The Hawks had 50 interior points, 14 in the open court, 23 on extra tries, 20 after turnovers and 29 from the reserves.

Murray had 29 points on 12 of 31 tries and picked up 13 rebounds, 13 helpings and four turnovers. Hunter provided 23 on his ledger on 43.5% shooting, with 11 rebounds and three assists. And Fernando had 12 points and four rebounds.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Jović’s on-court growth. He said, “He’s improved in so many of the areas. It started with his work ethic… He’s really been committed to the work. It doesn’t happen overnight. I always say, ‘So many people overestimate what you can do in a day, but they underestimate what you can do in a matter of months.’”

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The touring Heat got back on track in Houston, controlling the boards and feasting in transition in Tyler Herro’s comeback.

The Rockets were missing Alperen Şengün (ankle-out for rest of regular season) and Amen Thompson (ankle).

Early, the Rockets tallied five baskets in the lane and connected on four of 11 triples. Dillon Brooks made three of those trays; two were over decent contests by Terry Rozier and Nikola Jović. But Fred VanVleet struggled with Haywood Highsmith tagging his drive, misfired facing Duncan Robinson in the corner and bricked another deep jumper as Rozier challenged at the last second after going over the screen.

On the Heat side, Jimmy Butler took charge, tearing through his matchup on his way to the cup and nailing four free throws. Caleb Martin scored in the open court and off a wing cut. And with 3:42 left in the first quarter, Herro stepped on the court for the first time since the Heat’s win in New Orleans on Feb. 23. First, he set up Butler on the break for a dunk; next, he made a transition pull-up jumper at the elbow over Jock Londale.

After 12 minutes, the game was tied at 27, with the Heat shooting 50% from the field as the Rockets converted 40.9%.

Then Bam Adebayo blew up the Rockets’ defenses in the second quarter. He hunted Cam Whitmore and Aaron Holiday to score at close range, soared coast-to-coast for a layup, produced off a pick-and-roll set with Herro and filed four freebies.

Rozier chipped in, adding eight points, intercepting VanVleet’s pass and ripping the ball from Jalen Green’s grasp. And Herro dribbled past Jeff Green and Jabari Smith for a layup and got to the rim in transition with VanVleet on his hip. The rest of the Heatles made five of 10 shots in the quarter.

But the hosts were answering back almost as easily. Smith broke the zone with a shot at the nail and hit two corner triples. Green provided eight more points, and VanVleet put up seven.

At halftime, the Heat was up 64-59. The crew had 36 paint points, 12 on the break, nine via second chances, 13 after turnovers and 20 from the bench.

Butler had 15 points on four of eight looks, with one assist and a steal. Adebayo accumulated 14 on his scoring ledger on 83.3% accuracy, with six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Rozier put up 10 points on five attempts, with two dimes and two steals. And Herro had six points on six tries and picked up a rebound and four dimes.

The Rockers had 18 interior points, four in the open court, seven on added tries, six after turnovers and 11 from the reserves.

Brooks had 14 points on five of eight opportunities, with three rebounds, an assist and a steal. And Smith and Green had 11 marks and two helpings apiece.

Afterward, Butler spun past Reggie Bullock in the lane for two points, buried an open corner three and made two free throws in the third quarter. Additionally, Jović, who played less than seven minutes in the first half, got seven in the third and canned two 3-pointers. Duncan Robinson contributed seven points, too.

Defensively, the Heat getting back in transition and its man-to-man coverage held the hosts to seven of 23 baskets in the third quarter.

The fourth frame started with the Heat up 83-73. In fewer than two minutes, Whitmore’s cutting layup and Green’s two triples cut the advantage to four points. Yet, the Heat’s protections recalibrated and permitted five of 23 baskets the rest of the way.

While the Rockets were still within striking distance, Herro dribbled left past Green from the top to the rim for two points, splashed a fastbreak bomb and sunk two freebies. And Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 10-point burst helped put away the Rockets.

The Heat won 119-104. The squad picked up 56 paint points, 17 on the break, 15 via second chances, 15 after turnovers and 48 from the bench.

Butler logged 22 points on six of 14 attempts, with three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Adebayo had 18 points on 58.3% shooting, with 12 boards, six assists, one steal and a block. And Herro put 17 on his scorecard on seven of 14 tries and picked up five rebounds and six dimes.

The Rockets had 34 interior points, 15 in the open court, 15 on extra tries, 15 after turnovers and 26 from the reserves.

Green dropped 21 points on 33.3% accuracy, with seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and three turnovers. Brooks produced 18 on his ledger on six of 18 attempts, with four rebounds and three assists. And Smith had 15 points on 12 ventures and recovered eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Herro handled the on-court interview. He said it was a great win on the second night of a back-to-back set. When asked about what was hardest during his absence (20 games because of a foot injury), Herro said, “It wasn’t a huge injury, but it was something that kept lingering on… But I ultimately took a couple of weeks off, and I was able to get back healthy enough to come out here and play. I’m happy to be back and [get a] great win.”

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about his thoughts on bouncing back from Thursday’s loss. He said, “You don’t have to be a mind reader to figure out how we felt getting onto that plane [Thursday] after a disappointing loss… It was a good response tonight. This was not an easy team to play on a back-to-back with [their] speed and athleticism. Also, their desperation- knowing they had to win this game to stay in it. We feel grateful that we were able to get this one tonight.”

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LeBron James and JJ Redick continue to do the public service of teaching schematics in episode 3 of Mind the Game. They went over the intricacies of the deadly Steph Curry and Draymond Green pick & roll, coach Erik Spoelstra’s improvement methods, sets that James has thrived in at different spots in his career and more noteworthy dialogue.
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Then, the criteria for super teams came up about 85% through the episode. Redick correctly stated that a big three alone doesn’t fill the requirements. But the surprising revelation is that the 2011 Heatles didn’t make the cut. James said, “We didn’t have enough,” referring to the role players.

Such a misconstruction of history reduces the accomplishment of the Dallas Mavericks.

That first year Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and James teamed up, the squad didn’t break 60 wins as many expected. In fact, they were mediocre through 18 outings. Yet, that group figured it out, finishing the regular season third in overall offense and fifth in defense on a 49-16 tear.

The group included 2011 3-point contest champion James Jones, who also converted 45.9% of his triples during the Playoffs. Who could forget 25 marks in Game 1 against the Celtics, but specifically, his 14-point second-quarter eruption?

Udonis Haslem, who had missed 69 games with a torn Lisfranc ligament, juiced the Heat up with 13 points on five of 10 attempts, with five rebounds, two dimes, one steal and a block in Game 2 in Chicago to help the club tie the series it eventually won in five.

And Mario Chalmers was on that team. He finished nine Playoff games logging 50% of his 3-point tries, and the squad was 6-3 in those matches. To boot, he came out blasting in the closeout Game 5 against Philadelphia with 11 first-quarter points. And his four trifectas off the bench in Game 3 in Dallas helped give the Heat its last lead in the series.

This crew was not as deep as the eventual back-to-back champs, but James, Wade and Bosh’s take-over potency, especially this early in their union, was so incomparable in the NBA that they sawed through East with a 12-3 record en route to the championship round.

LeRevisionist can’t get away with this one. The team had plenty when it won the East. They lost because Dallas’ defensive schemes caused him to play scared- not attacking openings in the lane, settling for jumpers and atypically making wrong reads.

There is no excuse for one of top five most dominating players in history getting outplayed by Jason Terry.

Anyways, their program has the potential for greatness. Maybe there needs to be a credible reporter- someone who was around for both of their careers, in the corner that draws a red card whenever the facts are misconstrued and demands clarification or fact check.

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Following a tense first half for the visiting Heat, carried in large part by Terry Rozier, the crew separated from the Wizards the rest of the way with an abundance of trays and strikes in the lane in Duncan Robinson’s comeback. The visitors also prevented any lead change post intermission following 12 prior.

The Heat was missing Tyler Herro (foot) and Caleb Martin (ankle). The Wizards were absent Bilal Coulibaly (wrist), Kyle Kuzma (heel), Tyus Jones (back) and Landry Shamet (calf).

Early, the Wizards contested the Heat’s long-range attack cleanly, forcing eight consecutive deep misses in the half-court and in transition. On offense, Jordan Poole swished two triples. Anthony Gill nailed a pick-and-pop jumper at the top of the key and broke into the paint for two buckets. And Marvin Bagley III rim rolled, dunking twice off a putback and a direct feed through the middle.

On the other side, Rozier lit the Heat’s fuse to start. He hit a left-side jumper facing drop coverage, dusted Poole from the top to the cup for a layup, left Bagley stumbling after a crossover in transition plus the basket and made one catch-and-release banger.

On top of that, Jimmy Butler scored by driving through Patrick Baldwin Jr. on the right side and cutting through the center for a catch and score helped by Nikola Jović. And Haywood Highsmith contributed five points.

Through 12 minutes, the match was tied at 29, with the Heat shooting 47.8% to the Wizards’ 42.3%.

Next, the visitors stuck closely to the snipers, permitting two of seven 3-point makes, but gave up the square on a surplus of drive-byes. Poole did the most damage, dropping nine of the hosts’ 30 marks in the frame.

Yet the Heatles attack erupted like a stack of TNT behind Adebayo splintering the paint four times and Rozier cashing three triples and one step-back jumper at the elbow after isolating Poole.

At halftime, the Heat was ahead 66-59 and up on the boards by three. The squad had 28 paint points, 15 on the break, six via second chances, eight after turnovers and 18 from the bench.

Rozier dispensed 20 points on eight of 13 shots, two rebounds, two dimes and two steals. Adebayo scored 13 on seven attempts and recovered five boards. And Jović filed nine points, six rebounds and two assists.

The Wizards picked up 30 interior points, six in the open court, nine on extra tries, eight after turnovers and 23 from the bench.

Poole registered 15 points on five of 12 attempts, with five assists. Gill scored a dozen on eight tries and claimed four boards. And Bagley had eight points and four rebounds.

Out of the break, the Heat’s defense forced unsuccessful outside jumpers and, midway through the quarter, was up by 16 points. Then, over 69 seconds, the protections loosened up, conceding a baseline cut and dunk to Corey Kispet, a rim roll to Gill and a corner triple to Jared Butler for seven unanswered points.

The Heat’s counter was a three by Highsmith and Delon Wright, plus Butler’s turnaround jumper on the left side over Gill.

The fourth quarter started with the Heat above 95-80. Despite the Wizards having its most effective sequence of the game, pouring in 27 points on 55% accuracy, it was too late. Before Butler subbed out, he cut into the paint for a layup and spun past Jared Butler, recording a basket through contact. Rozier was the only other Heatle late to record multiple field goals. And the rest of the unit made five of 11 shots.

The Heat won 119-107. The squad had 46 paint points, 21 on the break, 10 via second chances, 18 after turnovers and 35 from the bench.

Rozier logged 27 points on 11 of 19 looks, with four rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Adebayo had 22 on his scorecard on 50% accuracy, with nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, a block and five turnovers. And Butler had 17 points on five of 11 ventures, with eight rebounds and four assists.

The Wizards picked up 56 interior points, 15 in the open court, 11 on extra tries, 18 after turnovers and 45 from the reserves.

Poole had 22 points, making eight of 20 shots, and added four rebounds, eight assists, one steal and four turnovers. Gill put up 18 points on 58.3% shootings, with four rebounds. And Deni Avdija tallied 15 to his ledger with nine rebounds and six dimes.

Rozier handled the on-court interview. He gave credit to teammates and coaches for his output.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra was asked if he feels his team is prepared for the upcoming challenges. He said, “Yeah. All I’m thinking about is getting ready for Tuesday… we’ll rest up and get onto Miami and prepare for a big game against New York on Tuesday.”

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The short-handed Heat hosted the second Golden State Strangler (Draymond Green) and the Warriors, getting disgraced, inching closer to a return to the Play-In Tournament.

The Heat was missing Jimmy Butler (illness), Tyler Herro (foot), Duncan Robinson (back) and Kevin Love (heel).

Not even three minutes into the game, Draymond Green, tied for second in flagrant foul points and shares the fifth spot in accumulated technical fouls, nearly decapitated Patty Mills while battling for positioning in the lane. The refs reviewed the play, failing to call a flagrant foul. Just as I thought: this repeat offender’s antics have desensitized officials, and now, nothing short of leaving a rival unconscious or maiming someone will force the refs to crack down.

But the Heat missed nine of its first 11 attempts, getting swarmed by the Warriors’ backline. Following the opening dry spell, the hosts made 71.4% of their tries to end the period, with mainly Nikola Jović and Adebayo attacking. The former sprayed a right-wing triple and cut into the lane for a layup off a feed by his center. And the latter swished a fader facing Kevon Looney in the paint, made two hooks against the zone and canned a trailing catch-and-shoot trifecta at the top.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr instantly called timeout, and when his crew came out of it, the Heatles’ 2-2-1 press created an eight-second violation.

After one quarter, the Heat led 26-24, shooting 44% to the Warriors’ 61.1%. The hosts were also outrebounded by five.

Next, Golden State’s Klay Thompson converted two threes, firing behind Looney’s pin down on the right wing and making another in the same spot, using a horns play set up by Chris Paul. Jonathan Kuminga broke into the square for a bucket in the half court and finished on the break, too.

Yet, the Heat countered. Jaime Jaquez Jr. buried a corner three and opposite baseline jumper, plus Adebayo cracked the Warriors’ 2-3 zone, going at the low man, Andrew Wiggins, with a hook and turnaround jumper.

Then, past the midway mark of the period, as Terry Rozier misfired a left-side deep jumper, Adebayo was crushed between Gary Payton II and Moses Moody, hitting his head on the way down. Rozier intentionally fouled Moody on the other side to stop the clock. Within a minute, Adebayo, who was withering in pain, stood holding the back of his head and was helped to the bench.

Preposterously, this wasn’t enough for Jay Sabol and his trainers, who can’t keep the others on the floor by the way, or Spo and his assistants to wonder if Adebayo should enter concussion protocols. Perhaps if he fell flat onto his spine or face, safety would have taken a front seat over competitive fervor.

I don’t believe anyone saw him “removed from participation by either a team physician or the player’s team athletic trainer and undergo evaluation in a quiet, distraction-free environment conducive to conducting a neurological evaluation.”

After the game, coach Erik Spoelstra said, “I thought it should have been a flagrant foul…Three guys have to see that when someone gets hit that hard. But he’s fine; he is tough. That happened in the first half, and he was really good in that second half.”

And keep in mind that at the post-game presser, Adebayo said he stayed on the ground because he was trying to make sure he was all right. He “shook it off and got right back to the game.”

Anyways, Haywood Highsmith delivered seven of his 10 second-quarter points following the timeout. He downed a top-of-the-key three, scored a layup on the break set up by Adebayo’s block on Green, and subsequently stripped Paul in Warriors territory, scooping off the glass.

For the Warriors, Thompson made another trifecta, and Moody added six points to close the half.

At intermission, the Heat was up 55-53 and ahead on the glass by three. It also had 26 paint points, four on the break, four via second chances, eight after turnovers, and 21 from the bench.

Adebayo scored 13 points on six of 11 attempts, with six rebounds, four assists and a block. Caleb Martin logged eight points, with two rebounds and five assists. And JJJ and Jović each registered an efficient seven marks.

The Warriors picked up 26 interior points, six in the open court, five on extra tries, seven after turnovers and 14 from the reserves.

Thompson drained 15 points on six of eight ventures and picked up three boards and two dimes. Kunming scored eight on 57.1% shooting, with a rebound and two assists. Curry and Wiggins had a productive seven points apiece.

After coming out of the locker rooms for the 15-minute break, the guests were the stronger team. They stifled the Heat’s deep jumpers with clean contests and outscored them by a dozen in the third quarter. The only hosts to record multiple baskets were Adebayo and Rozier. The rest of the squad converted two of 14 shots.

For the Warriors, the aggressors were Wiggins, bursting into the lane and popping behind the elbow for a jumper; Kuminga, slicing the baseline thrice, jamming a lob, overpowering Rozier at the cup and finishing a putback; and Thompson, contributing eight points.

The fourth quarter began with the Heat down 75-85. Its long-range assault was foiled as it blanked all eight attempts as the Warriors switched, locked and trailed well on snipers plus shaded and recovered quickly.

Within the last five minutes, the Heat still had a chance for redemption. The Warriors responded with the Curry + Green pick and roll setting up a baseline dunk for Kuminga; Wiggins scored on the succeeding play in transition; and Thompson nailed a left-side jumper. The Warriors went up 17 points.

It got so ugly there was even an Alondes Williams sighting in the last 94 seconds for the Heat and a Warriors Gui Santos insertion late. (Williams signed a two-way contract with the Heat on Feb. 9. The Warriors picked Williams up on Nov. 7.)

The Heat lost 92-113 and was outrebounded by three. The squad had 46 paint points, 10 on the break, six via second chances, 14 after turnovers and 28 from the bench.

Adebayo ended the night with 24 points on 10 of 21 looks, recovered nine rebounds, and had five helpings and one block. Rozier and Highsmith contributed 15 points apiece. And JJJ had 12 points on 40% shooting, with two rebounds.

The Warriors had 52 interior points, 18 in the open court, 13 on extra tries, 13 after turnovers and 29 from the reserves.

Thompson produced 28 points on 11 of 20 tries, with five boards and two dimes. Kuminga scored 18 on 61.5% accuracy and absorbed seven rebounds. And Wiggins and Curry had 17 points each.

Spoelstra said, “You have to credit Golden State. They knew what this game was about… These are must wins for both teams going down the stretch, and they were able to get the job done tonight.”

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