Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Thunder

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It wasn’t as easy as it looked early on, but the Heat escape Oklahoma City with a win behind Tyler Herro’s big night.

Some takeaways…

#1: Tyler Herro comes out on fire, but it didn’t just happen naturally.

Tyler Herro walked into the locker room at halftime with 20 points and 6 made threes. But it just wasn’t that simple. To begin the game, he was seeing two defenders on every single screen. Basically the game-plan from the playoffs. He began just making the pocket pass and going isolation a bit more as counters, but then Victor Oladipo entered. He took over ball-handling duties as Herro shifted to spot-up shooting mode. That’s when the scoring began to get rolling a bit. The reason this is so important is because this isn’t how he generated all 6 triples, but he did do it for the first 4. Why is that important? After knocking down 4 threes, it doesn’t matter the coverage they’re putting on him in an action. Now he’s in a rhythm and they have to adjust to him. It all falls from this one element, but the quick and timely adjustment was a cool thing to see.

#3: Victor Oladipo’s defensive nature didn’t go anywhere.

Victor Oladipo has been ramping back up over this past week, generating some buckets from time to time off the driblle and on spot-ups, but that hasn’t been the thing that has stood out most. It’s the defense, to nobody’s surprise. In his first game back, Erik Spoelstra had him pressing at the top of a 2-2-1 press on his opening possession, which tells you where he is at this stage. But looking at just tonight, he completely threw Shai and company out of a rhythm. Haywood Highsmith was getting some run, which meant they were just switching back and forth on Shai’s ball screens. Then the zone adjustment came, as he hit passing lanes very well with 3 first half steals. The biggest point is his lateral quickness is still there, since he can position himself perfectly to cut guys off on drives and rolls. Now that’s a natural ability.

#3: Heat’s three-point shooting finally having a moment early, but then…

Well, as I’ve talked about continuously on these takeaway pieces, the Heat have been needing a three-point shooting night. And I’m not talking about Herro in this topic, it’s more about the role players. Duncan Robinson got some minutes tonight, and they were actually running actions we’re familiar with. Screening away for him to shoot to the top of the key, some pick and roll stuff, etc. Caleb Martin and Oladipo each added in a bit, but Kyle Lowry deserves some credit for his spot-up shooting as well. There’s a theme here with the shooting, which pretty much is the catch and shoot spam. And what co-aligns with spot-up spams? Paint touches and strong drives. Do you know what the Heat were not generating in the second half? Paint touches and strong drives. (Which I’ll get into next)

#4: The constant takeaway: blowing leads.

As the Heat held a 21 point lead in the first half, I tweeted out: who’s taking the final shot in the clutch tonight? While it seems like a joke, it most definitely isn’t when watching this Heat team. Once they find something that works, they get extremely complacent. For example, as I explained before, the Heat’s three point shooting profile was quite simple. But after shooting over 50% on 16 made threes over 24 minutes, they seemed to get too comfortable. Those paint touches and sprays turned into perimeter swings and pull-ups. Then back on the other end, there’s just so much slippage from time to time at the point of attack. If they aren’t pulling up Bam’s guy to come screen, it’s an easy paint touch for Shai and others. This is one of the many trends the Heat have acquired along the way this season, and this may be the very worst one.

#5: Our locked in 5th takeaway: a walk down clutch time.

Down 7 with four minutes to go, after possessing that 21 point lead early on, the Heat were just searching for some type of offensive base. Oh yeah, and maybe some type of point of attack defense. Herro walks the ball down the floor, hitting yet another three around the screen, seeming to be the Heat’s one area of comfort in the half-court. Shortly after a timeout, Lowry sticks a deep 3 to cut the lead down to two, but Josh Giddey matched it on the other end as Miami continued to help off him. Now a 5 point game again, Oladipo gets out on the break, converted on a tough lay-up in traffic. Three point game, a Lowry paint touch kicks it to Herro for an open 3. Back to the original gameplan that was working. After another tough transition lay by Oladipo, which actually was an and-1, the Heat took the lead by 2. Under a minute to go, the Heat look to close it out a bit, and Lowry holds the ball for 24 seconds then shoots a step back three off the rim. Yeah, talk about bad process. To follow up on that isolation possession, Herro hits a fading mid-range to give the Heat a 2 point lead with 4 seconds left. Well then.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pacers

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The Miami Heat face the Pacers in Indiana on Monday night, and it was a typical game in this building.

An absolutely awful offensive showing by both parties, but Miami ended up coming away with the win.

Some takeaways…

#1: Tyler Herro’s early passing display.

There was a bit of a trend early in this game for the Heat, and it all basically started with Tyler Herro orchestrating on the floor. Looking back to a recent hot stretch for the Heat, there were two common threads: 1) Bam’s offensive aggression and scoring (which I will get to later) and 2) Herro taking control as play-maker. He had 20 assists over a two game span, looking like the Heat found their base. They got back to that tonight, as he accumulated 5 assists in the first half, while 3 of those 5 occurred out of the Herro-Bam PnR. They’ve also found a variation where Butler roams baseline in timely spots following the Herro-Bam PnR. Butler got to the line and some easy points out of that exact set. When they’re moving like this, it’s hard to stop. But the issue is that they aren’t always doing this…

#2: The Heat’s need for sustainability across the board.

While I highlight what the Heat were doing right, kicking them out to a 19 point lead at one point in the second quarter, it somehow only resulted in a 5 point lead at half. Why is that? Well, sustainability and consistency are the two descriptive words this Heat team just doesn’t have. In one aspect, they cannot sustain things from a game to game basis, even when it seems they turn the corner. But in a much thinner lens, they don’t obtain consistency on a possession by possession basis. They start to click and move, then those same looks aren’t being generated. Early in this game they leaned heavily in paint points and looks around the basket, then quickly fell into Indiana’s hands by 3 point firing after gathering the big lead. They can’t stray from game-plan with this roster. They simply can’t afford that.

#3: Well, Bam Adebayo was having his way to begin.

Before putting a pin in that first half run, I do want to highlight what we saw from Bam Adebayo. While that Herro passing made an appearance, they guy he was mainly passing to was Adebayo. He was getting that go-to mid-range fade to fall, and he looked super confident in most of his pull-up looks off pure shot creation. But ideally, his shots coming off assists are the way to truly open up his shot profile. After some easy ones out of the pick and roll to start, he became the isolation hub at different points as well. Bam was also cleaning up the boards pretty well with 12 first half boards, simultaneously doing a great job stopping Tyrese Haliburton off full-out switching. Bam leading the way is a great blueprint, but he wasn’t actually leading *anybody,* since nobody could follow behind him.

#4: The Heat just cannot shoot efficiently.

We often talk about things X’s and O’s wise with this Heat teams. Other times we talk about things big picture. But sometimes the obvious just needs to be stated: this Heat team went from the best 3 point shooting team in basketball last year to a bottom 10 team this season. Why is that? Well the answer isn’t just “losing PJ Tucker.” There are a couple elements that are primarily headlined by many players regressing all at once. I asked Jimmy Butler about this issue a few nights ago, which he said, “We’re always trying to get 40+, so we gotta figure out a way to get our shooters a couple more.” That’s great in theory, but full-on relying on the Heat’s “shooters” at time moment in time won’t get them out of this mess. But it’s seriously a wild development to see this shooting fall off like *this.

#5: Oh wait, is that another clutch game?

In the year 2022, we were watching a version of a 1978 basketball game right in front of our very eyes. 4 and a half minutes to go, the Heat lead 74-73. Not 4 minutes to go in the half, but in the game. After generating some more stops, which was ultimately the theme of the night, a Butler drive and kick to Lowry in that deep corner put them up by 4. Side note: while the topic of the night is that the Heat were absolutely awful as an offensive team, it should also be discussed that they limited the Pacers to a similar mark. How did they do that? Well, I give a lot of the credit to Bam Adebayo. They switched everything tonight, basically allowing Myles Turner the interior advantage. Yet they were not allowing Haliburton to be comfortable. Adebayo just completely eliminated him at the head of the offense. But ultimately, late in this game, Butler entered late-game takeover mode to graze Miami past Indiana. That’s the main reason the last play against the Spurs got attention, since getting Butler the ball late is always the answer.

 

Previewing the Top Five NBA Draft Prospects for 2023

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Introduction

The 77th regular NBA season kicked off in earnest on Tuesday 18th October 2022. The 2022-2023 season will comprise 82 games per team and is expected to end on Sunday, April 9th 2023. News on all the moves made by the teams has been made available.

As the new season begins, new players will be drafted by all the NBA teams. With the draft date set for June 23, 2023, scouts are travelling all over the world, looking for the best players. Below is the current status of the top 5 NBA draft players for the 2022-2023 season.

1. Victor Wembanyama (France)

There hasn’t been a prospect like Wembanyama for a while. His talent, physique and skillset are a thing of beauty. He is a 7-foot-4 superstar in the making capable of creating his own shot off the bounce and posting up on his opponents. Coupled with a top-performing point guard, his execution of pick-and-roll plays is amazing to watch. If you are an NBA fan, you can stay updated with his performance and general NBA odds on this page. 

Despite only playing 34 games in the LNB Pro-League in the 2020-2022 season, he still demonstrated his incredible potential as a two-way forward, averaging 17.6 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, and 1.9 BPG as well as shooting 46%. Wembanyama, who was only 16 when he started playing professionally, has competed against adults for the past two seasons. 

He has shown a remarkable level of commitment to the game with his next-level competitiveness and was crowned the LNB Pro A-League’s Best Young Player in 2021 and 2022. A rare combination of size, length, mobility and skill, Wembanyama will begin his draft cycle regarded as one of the top prospects, with the chance to hold this position until draft night. 

2. Scoot Henderson (G-League Ignite)

18-year-old Scoot Henderson decided to skip his senior year at Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, to play for the G-League Ignite team. He was the youngest player to play in the G-League. The physical attributes that Henderson possesses have made him one of the best athletes in the G-League as a teenager. These include his long arms, muscular body type, and high-level strength and speed with the ball.

As an incredible athlete with so much explosiveness, he has continued to sharpen his pull-up game, as well as his playmaking and passing skills this summer. Henderson, who averaged 24.5 MPG, 14.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 11 games for Ignite last – season, is expected to improve his performance this year. A little ball-dominant and not particularly a great passer, Henderson is still figuring out how best to be a lead guard. He has good hands on the defensive end but needs to improve. 

3. Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)

With his abilities as a ball handler, passer, and overall creator, Amen has displayed his abilities against high-level professionals on the court, at the free-throw line, and passing off the dribble. During the three preseason games, he scored 18.6 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, made 5 assists, stole the ball 3 times, and blocked one shot and 65% of his 2-point shots. His free-throw percentage also improved to 80%, which is the highest it has been since he first came to the team. 

In addition to his explosive strides, his ability to manoeuvre through different angles and driving lanes with grace and balance is incredible. His passing ability is pristine, getting the ball to his teams with wrap-around passes and cross-kick-outs. He has yet to develop his jumper, which places him behind the top two players at this point in terms of skill set.  

4. Nick Smith Jr. (University of Arkansas)

With the ball in his hands, Nick Smith Jr. exhibits a high level of playmaking ability and creativity. He is able to change directions and gears with ease, as well as finish above the rim while showing creative instincts. The 6’4’’, 185-pound Smith has a 6’9’’ wingspan and can play bigger than his size, score in tight areas, and make sensational passes. 

As a member of the NBA superstar Bradley Beal’s AAU team, Smith led the team to the Peach Jam Finals while averaging 18.6 points per game, 3.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG. 247Sports ranked Smith the top-rated high school prospect in the country, Rivals ranked him as the best shooting guard in the country, and ESPN ranked him as the top shooting guard in the nation.  

5. Cameron Whitmore (University of Villanova)

In addition to his physicality and athleticism, Whitmore has also developed sharpshooting abilities, knocking them down in the paint. His 6-foot-6 frame allows him to take on older players easily. He is rated one of the best defenders on the court and performs well in transition because of his driving ability. He is one of the most powerful dunkers in the 2023 draft. 

Whitmore averaged 18.7 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game in 6 games at the 2021-2022 U18 America’s Championship Tournament. Additionally, he shot 63% from the field and 45.5% from three-point range. After a recent injury, Whitmore underwent thumb surgery which has cast doubts on his shooting ability going forward. 

Final Words

As the NBA Draft date draws nearer, NBA prospects will be looking to perfect all their skill sets and stay healthy as the scouts watch their games. Joining the NBA is not an easy accomplishment and will talent and strong work ethic are bound to come out on top. 

 

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Spurs

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Prior to the Spurs last win against Houston, they lost 11 games in a row.

Now walking into the Heat’s arena, a clutch game was almost too predictable.

Some takeaways from another bad loss…

#1: A different substitution pattern seen early in this one…

Substitution patterns have been all over the place this year, mostly since the roster has been all over the place. Now with a mostly healthy roster, the expectation is to mostly mirror Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, then Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry. At least that was the usual focus. Yet tonight, we saw Herro and Caleb Martin exit early for Max Strus and Victor Oladipo, which pretty much meant there was a large portion of time shortly after where Lowry, Butler, and Bam were all on the bench simultaneously. Yeah, that’s a lot on Herro to try and make work, especially with the roller he has to work with. Just keeping track of this stuff along the way, but this is a trend that I don’t expect to stick by any means.

#2: Jimmy Butler channeling scorer Jimmy Butler early on, even when he doesn’t want to.

In games like this one against the Spurs, Butler usually loves to sit back and play play-maker. It’s what we saw in that Grizzlies game in Memphis, as he wasn’t aggressive at all and the Heat couldn’t keep up at all. Yet as the Heat began to tail off again in that second quarter, Butler began doing what he does best. Pick and roll, mid-range bucket. Pick and roll, hard drive. Pick and roll, foul. Rinse. Repeat. There’s no doubt at all that he can score with the best of them, but that’s just not his style (unless it’s playoff time). It’s always good to see Butler dominate in that inside the arc range just as a healthy reminder, but we seriously shouldn’t need to see that in a game like this against the Spurs.

#3: All eyes on the point of attack defense.

The Spurs led by 2 at the half, and there were a mixture of things that led to that result. But I’d say by far the biggest element was the way the Spurs were able to walk right into the paint, time and time again. They were up to 36 paint points at the half, while shooting 18 of 22 in that area. So, what’s leading to that? This takes me right to the point of attack, since this has been another one of those common trends that just can’t occur. It’s one of the reasons the Heat have sat in zone, since teams seem to burst right by that initial line of defense when in man. The Spurs were sending cross screens and curls at Miami the entire half, and the Heat just couldn’t keep up. It hurts even more when Bam is not on the floor covering it up down low, but that’s another issue in its own right. Needs to be patched.

#4: Tyler Herro gets hot from deep, but more important, he’s reactionary.

Herro had a great start to this game, since it seemed like his attacks were timely and on point, while providing a bit of the necessary pressure. Fast forward to the third quarter, he scored in a much different approach, which simply consisted of getting hot from three. The first two triples of the quarter came from Adebayo kicking out following a paint touch, as Herro capitalized. But shortly after, then it turned into stepping into the pull-up. But more importantly, it was a reactionary process. Defender goes under off a Butler screen, he pulls and knocks it down. Same thing a few possessions later, they go under and Herro knocks it down. Interesting choice when a guy gets hot like that, but a good sign to see Herro read that in real time.

#5: The back-up 5 convo.

We often hear about finding the perfect 4 or 5 next to Bam, but how about we direct our attention to the perfect 5 behind* Bam. We’ve talked before about how things plummet when Bam Adebayo exits, and the entire goal is to stay as close to neutral as possible. But well, the Dewayne Dedmon usage just continues to be more and more interesting. He was 1 for 8 in this game, while shooting up 3 triples, which just stalls out the offense for large pockets of the night. The Heat weren’t expecting this to be the front-court rotation entering the year, but the injury of Omer Yurtseven forced them into this. Just remember: when talking trades, an extra piece in the trade for back-up big will be a major addition.

Jimmy Butler-Bam Adebayo Two-Man Game: Finding a Base

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After a much needed win at home against the Clippers, the Heat showed off the ultimate blueprint with Bam Adebayo leading the way as the offensive force, while Jimmy Butler closed it out late when most needed.

But more importantly, they did it together.

While these two top guys have showed they can make late playoff runs together as the primary threats, the two-man game just has never seemed to click.

Defenders go under on the Butler screen, playing a lot more 2-on-2, compared to the usual 2-on-1 seen within a pick and roll like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

There also falls a lot of weight on the pull-up jumper of Jimmy Butler, which is never a regular season reliable factor.

But against the Clippers, it almost seemed like the Heat found a very minor trend that shifted the looks they would get out of that action. Yes, it helps that you were getting aggressive Adebayo. Yes, it helps that after Butler missed his first two shots of the game, he didn’t miss the rest of the night. But still, there was a moment of realization.

Take a look at this possession as an example. Marcus Morris fights over the screen and stays right at the hip of Butler in an empty corner PnR. As I stated before, they aren’t playing in space, since it’s a 2-on-2 match inside the arc at this point.

He hits Bam in the pocket for the contested floater, which bounces off the front of the rim.

What was the main problem? Well, go back and watch the speed that Bam slips out of that screen.

While it’s clear that the quick burst and speedy roll fits the style of a Herro or Lowry PnR, that is mst definitely not the case when Butler is head of the action. He’s more methodical, reactionary, and slow-paced.

Not holding that screen a second longer just throws off the entire two-man pairing on this possession. So, let me show what that actually looks like…

Same set-up. Bam gives the hand-off to Butler, who reverses back into an empty corner PnR. Paul George begins to fight over the screen in similar fashion, except Bam just holds positioning for that extra second.

That’s big time.

Butler loops around baseline, basically forcing Zubac to fly up at him which pulls him out of position. Gives a slight pump-fake, Bam dives down the right slot, and it’s an easy feed for the Bam dunk.

We can talk chemistry. We can talk skill-set. We can talk coverages. But I’m serious: it is all about the timing when it comes to this pairing.

While this is the blueprint against a deep drop, there are also new counters to switching. Going back to that recent game against the Celtics in Boston, both Adebayo and Butler found real comfort off those switches in different ways.

Butler spammed the Al Horford switch late in that game to close it out, but Adebayo was also sealing off the smaller wing player as seen in the clip above.

After the switch occurs, Butler immediately stops in his tracks to point at Bam to post-up for the entry pass. He catches it, faces up, and turns into a strong drive to draw the foul, which was a crucial play in that game under a minute to go in overtime.

But to further my point on the Butler-Bam connection rising, go back and watch that clip again. But don’t watch Bam this time on the catch, just keep your eyes on Butler.

As soon as Bam gets in position to burst down the lane, Butler sprints back out to clear-out Horford from providing weak-side help. These are the needed elements to make this Heat offense work so smoothly.

While we talk so often about how elite the Herro-Bam PnR has consistently been since the middle of the season last year, would you believe me if I told you the Butler-Bam PnR has been better statistically this year?

Of course the Herro-Bam pairing almost doubles the volume of Butler and Bam, but the point still stands: Herro-Bam PnR puts up 1.25 points per possession, while the Butler-Bam PnR is putting up 1.28 PPP.

This isn’t to overly analyze and compare these two, but it really showcases just how efficient these guys have been in that set. By far the best we’ve seen since Butler landed in Miami a few seasons ago.

Since we’re talking specifics, we’ve also seen a new set Miami has been getting to, trying to maximize Butler and Bam together when one of them is not in the action.

Let’s start with last night (looking at the clip above): Butler clears to the dunker spot as Herro and Bam ease into a normal PnR. Herro feeds it to Bam right in the pocket, which looks like his go-to jumper is making a return yet again, right?

Wrong.

Butler notices George overly-orchestrating on the weak-side, as he flips dunker spots and Bam hits him for the easy push shot at the rim.

You may be thinking: this isn’t a planned thing, that’s just a coincidental play with the defense falling asleep. So let’s back it up a game further:

Heat open the second half in Memphis with the need to create some positive offense. It was a night where Butler was no where near aggressive, so they run this immediately.

Ball in the hands of Bam, Butler sets a pin-down for Herro to fly off, as Lowry loops into a back-screen for Butler to drift baseline.

Bam is baiting the defense left already, as he hits Butler for the easy baseline fadeaway. Once again, this is all the intention to try and keep Bam in the action as much as possible, while forcing Butler into that dunker spot roaming mode.

But it doesn’t stop here, let’s go back even further:

Now we’re back to the Boston game. Under a minute to go in regulation, Lowry and Bam run a pick and roll. Butler yet again notices Grant Williams fall asleep as he stations in the dunker spot, before flipping his spot again for the easy floater at the rim.

The exact play from the Clippers game that I showed previously.

They’re finding ways to not only maximize Butler and Adebayo within the action, but also finding some actions that don’t simply leave one of the two stars in spot-up mode.

In terms of this Heat team as a whole right now, they need a lot more from their role players/bench to truly push forward into more wins in this regular season.

But the Heat’s top guys finding a way to balance each other in the half-court together: that’s a development that was not expected by any means.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Clippers

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The Miami Heat get a much needed win against the LA Clippers, behind a top heavy night from the Heat roster.

Big offensive night from Bam Adebayo, timely shots from Jimmy Butler throughout, and big runs from Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro.

Some takeaways…

#1: Caleb Martin: the Heat’s early offensive savior.

The Heat’s first quarter was an absolute disaster in the half-court. If your name wasn’t Jimmy Butler, they shot 4 of 18 from the field through the first 12 minutes. So how did they end up shooting 64% (14 for 22) the next quarter? The answer is Caleb Martin. The early Heat game-plan was to acquire some paint points, but nothing was shifting the defense. Martin ended up getting some shot creation involved early in the second, giving an immediate spark. That turned into some rhythm from deep, knocking down 4 of 5 threes in the quarter, which one didn’t count since he stepped out of bounds. This season hasn’t had many ups, but Caleb Martin has been one.

#2: Bam Adebayo’s needed shot profile.

As I noted over a recent stretch, Bam Adebayo has found his go-to shot. A face-up into a pull-up jumper a few feet from the basket. But while that should be his go-to when nothing else is being generated, it shouldn’t be his consistent base. What should be that shot profile base, you may ask? Well, it’s most definitely the strong attacks to the basket. When he puts his head down and flies toward the rim, that just puts the defense in such a tough spot. Late rotations, in the mix for a simple foul, or just strict dominance. I still love that go-to jumper that he’s unlocked along the way, but the way to maximize that headliner is to prepare it by the attacking game.

#3: An intriguing lineup to monitor…

As this is “solution time,” as Bam Adebayo proclaimed it after the loss to the Detroit Pistons, let me present something that provided a solution in the first half. I already documented the rough start and Martin spark, but he wasn’t out there alone. The lineup of Herro-Oladipo-Strus-Martin-Adebayo did some very good things, as it has a wide variety of skill-sets, which they’re not tripping over each other in the half-court. A shooter (if he’s hitting or not), two primary shot creators, and two guys who can defend while providing the occasional offensive burst. When healthy, this also allows the Butler-Lowry minutes to paired more often, which is usually the goal. Keep an eye on this lineup, since they’re going to get back to this a lot…

#4: Wait, one more thing on Bam: defenses are doubling him on the catch……

While I discuss Bam’s altered approach to get to the basket more often, that’s more projecting in general. But what needs to be discussed is that he’s being doubled in that mid-post consistently off the catch. This has been for a few weeks, but it’s just creeping up more and more. Him finding counters to it are already developing, since somebody that skilled with that type of passing ability basically has built in counters. A play in the third quarter stood out though: they flew a double at him, he retreated out almost like he was going to run a hand-off, then reversed back into an attack for the lay-in. This is a major plus to the offense…for many different reasons.

#5: Another late-game walk-through…

Halfway through the 4th quarter, the Heat continue into a Butler-Bam two-man spam. A Bam floater is the outcome, putting him up to 31 points on the night. Heat send a double at Paul George on the other end to force him into a turnover, which Miami was getting comfortable doing late. On the other end, Jimmy Butler drives and dishes to Max Strus in the corner for three, really giving the Heat some life. Miami continued to put two on the ball in most circumstances the next few possessions, really coming as a surprise to the Clippers. Jimmy Butler took over really late in the quarter in that mid to low post, just choosing his switch. Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard each getting reps for Butler’s turnaround. Clippers matched some buckets shortly after to force a run of their own, but Butler countered again with a wild step back baseline jumper. The Heat close out a much needed win at home.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Pistons

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And it gets worse.

The Heat fall to the Pistons at home, following up their worst loss of the season…with this.

I dive into game specifics here, good and bad, but this game means so much more than X’s and O’s.

But anyways, some takeaways:

#1: Tyler Herro’s perfect first half.

21 points, 7 for 7 from the field, 2 for 2 from three, 5 for 5 from the line. That was the stat-line for Tyler Herro at the half, on a night where he felt like the one and only engine in the half-court. He was getting into his bag a good bit, finding some baseline turnarounds, quick crossovers (that made Bogdanovic fall), and hitting the pull-up consistently. But more importantly, he was doing all of this at a very controlled pace. Slowly trotting through the lane into the floater may be a product of this Pistons’ defense, but it also showcases his growth. His scoring is finding that rhythm once again, after he eased back with early play-making over that specific stretch.

#2: Kyle Lowry words are necessary: about a very certain skill.

While we’ve been glued to watching the zone defense for a good bit, switching is still naturally their base. I know many of you guys scream at your screen when seeing a Heat guard on the back of an opposing big, since that was a trend for a while. But if that Heat guard is Kyle Lowry, hold your anger. I simply haven’t seen anything like Kyle Lowry’s post feel, no matter if he’s fronting or just guarding straight up. He knows the timing of when to spin into fronting position, but he’s also strong enough to hold off that offensive player before the help comes. He ended up with 5 steals at the half, and it was basically surrounded by this exact iteration. A serious skill.

#3: The bench still being routed in the scoring column.

If you looked at the box score at the half tonight, you would see a lot of minuses on the Heat’s bench and a bunch of pluses on the Pistons’ bench. To put into simpler terms, the Heat had 1 made field goal at the half from their reserves. Yes it may be a different look in the bench unit with Nikola Jovic filling for Dewayne Dedmon, Victor Oladipo coming back, and Duncan Robinson getting minutes, but the point remains the same. As much as I talk about Herro being the engine, they need to get back to that reliance on “depth,” especially with Butler and Lowry’s expected time off. When things go back to normal, that’ll be a lot on Gabe Vincent and Max Strus to truly grab a hold of. And well, Victor Oladipo now too…

#4: Victor Oladipo’s debut.

Victor Oladipo is back…again. It feels like we’ve had the “debut” quick a few times over his three season tenure, but that’s because we have. As he entered tonight, we quickly saw something Erik Spoelstra wanted to get an immediate eye on: the ball pressure. They vastly fell right into the 2-2-1 press, which backed into the 2-3 zone, per usual. To be honest, I would’ve liked to see more of a switching look when he was out there, just because I’m interested in how the one-on-one stuff looks exactly, but I guess we will save that for another time. He definitely wasn’t pressing too much offensively early, since it was a lot of direct drives and spot-up standing, but we saw an uptick in the 4th with those two exact elements. Pretty typical opening game, since some rust was expected.

#5: Rock bottom?

After proclaiming a horrible loss in Memphis by far the worst loss of the season for the Heat, they follow that up with this performance on the second night of a back to back against the Detroit Pistons. Zone, man, whatever. This transcends X’s and O’s at the moment. They just don’t have the energy on nights like this that is necessary. Last year when undermanned, this team played with max urgency when the team wasn’t even in a position to panic. Now the defense is leaking everywhere without containment, and the offense just doesn’t have anything to give if it’s not a Tyler Herro-Bam Adebayo led set. This team clearly has issues right now. And there’s not one singular thing to point your finger at.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss in Memphis

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The Miami Heat faced a very different looking Grizzlies team in Memphis, and treated it like so.

After an early offensive punch, they never gained that rhythm back. Other than Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin, they weren’t getting much more on the roster.

So, here are some takeaways from this loss…

#1: Caleb Martin’s early hot streak.

That Heat first half went in a few different directions. An early 7-0 run for the Grizzlies transitioned into a 28-10 run for the Heat, then back to a Grizzlies hot streak the rest of the half. While I’m going to discuss the Grizzlies runs in a minute, I do have to mentioned Caleb Martin’s addition to that run. Miami began running a ton of drive and kicks, as Martin just took advantage of Memphis sagging off. He hit four triples early in the game, continually stepping into his jumper with complete rhythm. Plus it’s evident that he’s elite at reading the positioning of his individual defender. If that defenders’ body is turned, he’s attacking the front foot. If they bite on the jab, he’s immediately pulling. His reads just keep impressing.

#2: The Heat’s need for paint touches and paint points.

36 to 8. That was the deficit in paint points for the Miami Heat at the half, against a Grizzlies team who should be doing the exact opposite without their core guys. As Miami made their early run, paint touches were the trend. In games like this, Jimmy Butler always loves just sitting back and playing play-maker. So they spammed him as a post-split and screener hub, continually drawing defenders in under the basket into easy kicks. Fast forward to a bit later, we saw that all end. As the Heat went on an incredible three point run, they fell in love with it. That led to hand-off spams, constant flares without a ton of cutting, which just all equals one thing: not the Heat’s ultimate style. For this Heat team to thrive against any team, they need to dominate the paint on the ball.

#3: Back-up big man watch…

Looking at the bottom of the Heat’s rotation, we’ve been talking options. Duncan Robinson or Haywood Highsmith? Can Nikola Jovic get back in that mix? But the key is that word “options,” no matter the level they’re playing at. The issue is that they don’t have options at the center position. If it’s not Bam Adebayo, it’s Dewayne Dedmon. If it’s not Dedmon, it’s…Udonis Haslem? It’s just a quick fall-off in that room, especially when Dedmon struggles like he did in this one. There’s the eye popping aspect of missing easy ones around the rim, but the energy shift when teams begin going at him in actions just hurts Miami’s defense. The Grizzlies weren’t just running PnR at him, they were running isolations at him in their quicker lineups. He will have his moments about every 3 games where he goes on a run, but the consistency issue just keeps popping out. Who will be Bam’s back-up in April? That’s a very interesting question to monitor.

#4: The Heat’s Cam Payne game-plan vs Tyus Jones…different result.

Something I talked about extensively after the Suns game earlier in the year was Miami’s altered defensive game-plan. They’d close off the rim as much as possible, forcing that far floater from guys like Cam Payne possession after possession. Players in the Heat locker room voiced that to me as well, since it’s an inefficient look. They’ve done it a bunch of times this season, but there’s always that tip your cap moment. That’s what Tyus Jones was doing in this one, as he just kept knocking down that runner from a variety of different spots. It’s just a credit to him, since that’s still the wanted look from Miami’s perspective.

#5: Simply, Miami didn’t get enough from 3 core pieces.

What went wrong in this game, you may ask? Well, where should I start. At halftime, I tweeted that there were 3 elements of this game that went wrong early, and two of them needed to turn around for Miami to win. And well, that just didn’t happen. The first element was Jimmy Butler’s aggression, which happened for a few minutes to open the second half, since clearly it was the halftime focus entering the third. Yet it just wasn’t sustained or consistent enough. The second element was Bam Adebayo’s efficiency. Memphis kept sending two at Adebayo in that mid-post, which is a much different look for him, but there never was a developing counter throughout this one. And the last element is the bench. I talked about Dewayne Dedmon already, but what he know who he is already. Haywood Highsmith actually gave fantastic minutes on the defensive end. So a lot of focus is on Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. Both had great starts to the season, but have tailed off a bit recently. When you aren’t getting enough from your two best players, while simultaneously getting nothing from your only bench scorers, it puts you in a tough spot against anybody.

Attending Your First Sports Event? 7 Things You Should Know

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Sporting events are a great way for people to spend time with their friends and families. Some events like the World Cup or the Super Bowl are so popular that they pull in millions of viewers from all over the world. As a sports fan, it might be a dream of yours to attend an event to support your favorite team.

 

Follow these few tips to make your sporting event memorable:

 

 

  1. Make Your Travel Plans in Advance


If you’re going to travel a long distance to get to your destination, you should plan ahead. You should get your flight ticket, or you should determine what the best mode of transportation is to get you there. Book your hotel or make your accommodation reservation on time as there might be a large number of people also wanting to get the same accommodations.

 

Once you’ve confirmed that you’re going to the event, it is best to book in advance to ensure you have a comfortable and memorable experience. Booking ahead would also entitle you to a refund in the event that any of the operators cancel on you.

 

 

  1. Purchase Tickets from Respectable Sites

 

Tickets to sporting events can be hard to get and expensive. Buying tickets from unknown sites is risky. You can either get scammed or be sold a counterfeit ticket. Some sporting events don’t allow the purchase of tickets at the gate, and even then, they can be a lot more expensive than getting them online. Find tickets at Ticket Blaster. Your ticket is important since it’ll grant you access into the arena.

 

 

  1. Arrive Early

 

Plan to arrive at least an hour early. This helps you ensure you find your seat on time. You’d also not want to miss the opening ceremony or any pregame events that have been organized. This also helps avoid any unplanned delays like traffic or having to stand in long lines.

 

  1. Be Respectful Of Your Rivals

 

Sports rivalries add a new level of excitement to any sporting event. Everyone wants to see their favorite win, especially if it’s a battle that’s been going on for many years. However, it should all be good-natured and never escalate into a physical altercation. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t do anything that would have you kicked out by security as this would bring an end to your sporting experience, and you might be banned for life from all future events.

 

  1. Plan Your Refreshments

 

Buying food at the venue can be expensive. It’s better to make purchases outside as there are more options and it’s more pocket-friendly. Another option is to take advantage of tailgating. Tailgating is a longstanding tradition at a lot of sports events. After the game, people gather together to cook and prepare various foods. This usually consists of a burger, fries, chips, chicken, and beer. It’s a fun way to meet new people and an avenue to discuss the events of the game with fellow fans.

 

  1. Remember That Safety Comes First

 

Though rarely the case, sporting events can go bad really quickly. It’s important to know the location of at least two exits. They’re usually clearly marked, but a quick scan when entering the arena would give you a general idea of where they are. It’s important to keep calm in the event of any panic and follow any instructions given as they’re intended to get you out as safely as possible.

 

  1. What To Bring Along

 

You should bring a sweater if it’s an outdoor arena as the weather may get chilly. You should also get a power bank so your phone doesn’t die. You can bring a bag to keep your items, and in the event you want to buy any merchandise, there’ll be a place for you to store them. You can also bring an energy drink or a snack bar. Don’t forget to bring some water along with you. It’s important to stay hydrated, and you don’t know if you’ll stay out longer than intended.

 

Conclusion

 

There’s no feeling like attending a sporting event live. There’s a different emotional experience to this when compared to watching on TV. The feeling of community or mutual joy shared among fans seeing their team win is one in a million. Planning for a sporting event doesn’t need to be tedious. You can create a memorable time for yourself, your friends, and your family. It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of a cheering crowd, singing their team towards victory. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you plan and prepare.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Celtics

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The Miami Heat faced the Boston Celtics once again on Friday night, except this was a bit more exciting.

Boston pulled away, Heat answered, which led to it going down to the final seconds, with Jaylen Brown sending it to OT on an insane shot late in the 4th.

The Heat pulled it out in OT though, behind the starters high level play through and through.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Tyler Herro entering shot creation mode early.

With the full starting lineup back together, there were some questions on who would be made priority, and who would step back. But well, we saw them all find their moments at different times. Tyler Herro scored 18 points in that first half, but it was more about how he was getting those shots. Quick pulls off handoffs or pick and rolls beyond the arc, isolation step backs in the mid-range, and a broad showing of footwork. While the passing has been on display recently, he found his scoring rhythm. To finish the second quarter, though, he twisted his ankle when landing, running right into the locker room before the half, leaving many projecting how they could mirror that same creation in the second half. But he ended up being just fine. From a basketball perspective, that type of shot making is a great change of pace for Miami’s shot profile, as showcased in that fourth quarter.

#2: The need for Bam Adebayo defensively.

Early in the second quarter, Bam Adebayo got his third foul, which was pretty much a theme for the game. After the Heat’s switching found some rhythm with Jimmy Butler back, they had to revert right back to the zone when Dewayne Dedmon entered after that foul trouble mentioned. Right on queue, the Celtics when on a three-point shooting run. Shortly after that, Dedmon then picked up his third foul, which led to Spoelstra looking to his bench quickly. Nikola Jovic time? Nope, Udonis Haslem got the call again. So the Celtics kept putting him in the action as he sat in drop pretty much at the level. We know Bam Adebayo’s impact on the defensive end, but it’s just hard to contain teams like this when he’s on the sideline watching for long periods of time.

#3: Jimmy Butler back means rim pressure is back.

As I said before, the starting lineup being back was a big focus, and I won’t sit here and act like it all roamed smoothly. They were taking turns many possessions to begin the game, while Jimmy Butler wasn’t a huge part of that involvement. He had to dust off some rust, but that didn’t take too long. In the second quarter, the offense found itself behind Herro’s shooting, and well Butler’s downhill attack. While the whistle wasn’t too favorable, he still absorbed contact and finished through traffic consistently, tapping into that bully ball play-style that he loves. He had 15 points at half on 7 of 10 shooting, which just shows he was earning his buckets. The takeaway here: this Heat group needs his rim pressure to get them out of cold streaks, which was showed early in this one.

#4: The Heat’s scoring stoppages appear again.

In the third quarter, the Heat had 1 made field goal from the 9:30 mark to a little over 3 minutes to go. Against this type of Celtics team, that just can’t happen. That one made basket was a Jimmy Butler drive and dish to Caleb Martin for a big dunk, yet every other possession just kept coming up empty. On the schematic front on why it was happening, it seemed like Bam’s foul trouble hurt the offense actually. He was so worried on his screens about picking up another offensive foul, which threw off the flow at times. That was a minor part of the issues, since the main chunk is just missing shots that actually weren’t terrible looks. The big picture takeaway: consistency, consistency, consistency. Since good teams usually won’t let you bounce back from a cold stretch that long. Somehow after that six minute span of non-existent offense, the Heat only trailed six heading into the fourth. Which I’ll discuss next…

#5: The fourth quarter…then OT.

While I just portrayed all of Miami’s issues in the third, they had a massive turnaround into the 4th. About 3 minutes in while trailing by 6 still, Tyler Herro hits a transition pull-up three. Boston comes down the court, as Bam Adebayo does his best Jimmy Butler impression by doubling backside getting the steal, tying it up on the other end with an and-1. A few plays later, Herro fights for his shot off the hand-off and knocks down another three, before Miami generates another steal and fastbreak dunk in the process. 5 point game all of a sudden. Boston answered back with some offense of their own behind Jaylen Brown, causing some back and forth over the next few minutes. The Heat’s switching took Tatum out of his game, while Highsmith made some incredible plays on the defensive end, as he played most of the fourth. Lowry’s career staple with that turnaround jumper made a couple appearances late to give Miami a necessary jolt as well. Fast forward to a tie game with 2 minutes left, the Heat run a Herro-Bam PnR, leading to a feed and Bam dunk down low. Grant Williams answers back a few plays later with a three to take the lead by 1, followed by a Bam attack off the roll for a trip to the line. Up 1, Tatum draws the Herro switch again. Off the attack, an incredible double by Highsmith forces the miss, as Butler hits a baseline fade after flipping dunker spots late in the clock. Tatum drives and dunks to cut the lead to 1 back on the other side, putting pressure on Miami to close it out, as Miami calls timeout to draw something up. Butler tries to get to the rim, it’s cut off, and shoots a tough fade on the wrap around. Bucket. Up 3, that’s game right? Wrong. An insane fading 3 from way out from Brown ties the game and sends it to OT. Wild. More back and forth continued, but a Bam Adebayo face-up and attack stood out most under a minute to go, getting to the line to take lead by 2. But Butler closes it out with a tough jumper. Heat win a tough one.