Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Clippers

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The Miami Heat faced the LA Clippers on the front end of a back to back, and the Heat closed it out late as the Clippers fought hard to make a comeback.

Another big shot from PJ Tucker in the corner was truly the dagger, as some Jimmy Butler late free throws put them over the top.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Jimmy Butler’s best individual skill on display.

After seeing Jimmy Butler’s hot start on Friday night, it was clear that has left big toe was far from irritated. Flowing into offense nicely, hitting guys on back-cuts constantly, and well, being the defensive anchor in a very favorable defensive scheme. It may sound odd, but he’s better defensively against spread out talent. Big time names are individual fun for Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker, but Butler’s home is off the ball. Ivica Zubac catches it at the elbow extended early in the first to get the Clippers into offense. Butler edges up slowly on the weak-side, then bursts. Butler always likes to call it timely gambles, but I call it a pure skill and knack that he possesses. Much like he can make unbelievable reads on the offensive end as a passer, his defensive reads bypass it by far.

#2: Duncan Robinson happened again, but mixing in other things.

When you see drop coverage, you see Duncan Robinson. As I’ve said in the past, it’s much easier for him to flow into looks with the task of just eliminating his one on-ball defender on the perimeter. But it puts a defense in an odd spot any time he touches the floor. It only takes one possession where a miscommunication occurs, and there Robinson is in space firing away a triple. Aside from those obvious elements, his reads were incredible early on. And when I say reads, I mean his off-ball ones. Moving with the ball on the attack, watching his defender sink into tagging mode, then flying right down the baseline for an easy layup inside. His cutting was great in this one, and like I said, it just puts that much more stress on a defense on a nightly basis. Crazy what making shots can shift.

#3: Oh, PJ Tucker was active early offensively? What a surprise.

When watching a Heat game this season, it’s impossible not to notice PJ Tucker on both sides of the floor, each and every possession. He’s just so active in that space, that it’s hard to miss his hard lay-out screens, crafty positioning within the perimeter, and volume shot making. The outside shots were there once again early on, but the inside flip shots closely followed. His presence down there was a necessity with the way the Clippers would collapse, and it actually led to a few trips to the line for him, on a night where there was a very friendly whistle on both ends. We can evaluate his impact as a role player under a microscope night in and night out, but the truth is he isn’t playing like a role player. He’s performing like a core piece, and it doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon.

#4: Gabe Vincent decided to join in from one spot on the floor tonight. Just one.

Whenever Gabe Vincent is discussed on these post-game pieces, it’s usually me highlighting his defensive expertise with elite ball pressure and half court hounding. But tonight…tonight was different. Vincent absolutely exploded in the third quarter, three after three after three after three. Most of them seemed to come from that right wing without moving, but all jokes aside, this is a guy that has made two total transformation in the span of two years. Straight shooter converted to defensive stopper with point guard duties, while the shot now loops back around for another cycle. There’s great developmental stories in the Miami Heat’s franchise history, but then there’s Vincent. Simple in a class of his own in terms of immediate turn around stories. But as he told me before the season, he altered his jumper for the better.

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#5: Predicting the Miami Heat’s late season rotation is a pointless exercise.

Whenever I address the Heat’s potential rotation late in the season after certain guys play well, something is noticed: it’s constantly fluctuating on opinion. But at this moment in time, it feels like one thing is apparent. As good as Max Strus has been, and can continue to grow the more games he plays, it just seems like he’s not in a simplified rotation if Duncan Robinson is playing this way. We were saying the same thing when Robinson went through his slump, but now that Robinson is moving, it doesn’t look like he’s going back. The way is to clearly lean toward defensive guards, in Vincent and Caleb Martin, who are shooting at an incredible rate at the moment. Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo will be back eventually, but for now, these two guys are filling in just fine.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Knicks

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The Miami Heat took down the New York Knicks at home in comfortable fashion. Pure offensive and defensive control from the tip-off to the final buzzer.

Tyler Herro returned, Jimmy Butler stayed steady, and PJ Tucker and Duncan Robinson provided the needed boost.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Duncan Robinson killing the Knicks early in ways we’ve seen, PJ Tucker in ways we haven’t.

The Miami Heat came out absolutely firing to start this game, and it was generated by two people in that span. Duncan Robinson had a very favorable match-up with this Knicks defense, since you ultimately feel much more comfortable with him against that deep drop. The screener just needs to take out one defender, leading to wide open looks immediately, before they begin to blitz out a bit later. PJ Tucker, on the other hand, goes on offensive runs in an unexpected manner, since well, “offensive runs” and PJ Tucker never used to mix. Jimmy Butler did a great job of drawing bodies on drives and finding the corner shooter on the kick-out, which Tucker was the result back-to-back early in the first. Then once unexpected corner gravity occurs, that floater and oddly amazing finishing enters.

#2: Tyler Herro is back…like he never left.

Tyler Herro entered the health and safety protocols about a week ago, but he made his return in this one. But while Robinson exploited things that made sense on paper, Herro went in a different direction. All indicators were that Herro would totally exploit the mid-range pull-up against that drop, but he utilized the other two elements of his game instead early. The three was falling, but more important, his downhill presence was something to note. Initiating contact on pick and roll drives while finishing in traffic is quite the consistent addition for his offensive game at this point. But just overall seeing him control the game in full bench lineups, while handling and creating for himself at an extremely high level, are the most essential parts about this one. When his creation looks like this to score, it changes the offensive trajectory of this team.

#3: Miami’s defensive excellence early on was expected on paper.

Much like I said Robinson had a visible advantage on paper, the Miami Heat’s entire defense had a favorable match-up. After seeing the Knicks immediate reaction when things go down, they completely spam strong side Julius Randle reps for him to try and score or create. But the Heat love that type of play-style since they can speed you up right out the gate. When switching the way they have, the plan was to fully double Randle in that high post upon any insertion, much like they did against LeBron James a few nights ago. And when he begins to make the quick reads, it’s all about rotating on the back-side at a high level, which they did for some time. But minor tweaks had to be made, such as leaving less of a gap between the weak-side corner defender and the corner shooter. And well, those adjustments are what make this defense so scary.

#4: Another night of pure Jimmy Butler all around control.

Jimmy Butler followed up a game where he finished with a triple double in a pure passing clinic, by coming right back around the next game for another display of pure all around control. For one, to touch on a few points from before, he’s the beneficiary for the hard doubles on the high post guy, since frankly, that’s his defensive home. He also had some moments of very nice reads, specifically on drive and kicks, but the story was his scoring. A high scoring night from Butler is great, but a high scoring efficient night from Butler is what takes him up a notch. He was finishing at a high level around the rim, which could go either way at times, and just really utilized a ton of angles to his advantage throughout. Butler may be evaluated under a microscope at times, but man can he control a game like this with plain ease, making the Kyle Lowry return even more intriguing.

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#5: This Heat team’s depth isn’t just when guys go down. It’s a nightly event.

Whenever you watch this Heat team. Whenever you hear people talk about this Heat team. Whenever you look at the roster of this Heat team. There’s a similar theme that always pops out first when looking for adjectives: depth. Guys go down, others step up, and it’s just nothing new since it’s a “next man up” mentality. But that description isn’t as simple as just having back-up plans when guys are out or aren’t performing to their standards. More importantly, this is a team that can hurt you with so many different groups on a night to night basis. What I mean by that is, as we saw tonight, it was Butler-Herro-Robinson-Tucker who led the way offensively. But over this past week, Vincent-Strus-Martin-Adebayo have all had “game-high” moments as well. That’s what makes this group so scary, and as we continue to say, they still aren’t full. Kyle Lowry and Victor Oladipo are still looming in different manners.

 

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The Miami Heat are Better Suited Now Following the Hardships

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The Miami Heat are the 1st seed in the East at this moment in time. They sit 13 games over .500, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro have only played 11 of the 47 games together this season, and the guys on the lower half of the roster have emerged.

We’ve seen so many times in the past when certain teams get hot in the regular season, but playoff ball is just strictly dependent on the right match-up. So what makes the Heat fall outside of that category?

Well, the simple answer was portrayed to start this piece, since there’s always that element that a fully healthy roster can elevate this group even further, plus the late addition of Victor Oladipo pretty soon.

But the more important answer is that Erik Spoelstra has found some things along the way this season. Things that wouldn’t have been found if guys didn’t go down.

For starters, we’ve seen a gem in Omer Yurtseven emerge, who plugged right into the starting lineup as that expected filler, and performed at a very high level to generate some wins throughout the month of December.

A guy on a two-way contract named Caleb Martin turned into a legitimate rotation player, locking down opposing teams’ best players and scoring the basketball at a rate many didn’t think he could at this level.

A couple of previous two-way projects, in Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, have taken some major steps in their development so far this season as well, due to Strus’ continued elite shooting and trusted skill-set, and Vincent’s improved three-ball, increased court vision, continued defense, and general all-around play.

But that list of developmental players isn’t the main reason that this team is better suited after the previous events. It’s the things Erik Spoelstra was forced into with those specific players.

As mentioned before, Adebayo goes down to begin the month of December with a lengthy time period ahead, but how does this Heat team survive on the defensive end without their anchor?

Well, as Spoelstra has said a million times this season, it’s next man up.

Yurtseven stepping in meant a total shift was coming from the usual switching that occurs in a Miami Heat defensive scheme. And although the switching bothered some observers at times, it led to one of the better defenses in the league for a decent period of time.

With the big man combo of Yurtseven and Dewayne Dedmon, Miami had to blend strictly into a drop coverage team, which at first screams defensive comfortability for other teams to expose. Does Spoelstra have as many tricks in his bag on that end as he once did with Adebayo?

The answer was yes.

We saw him change things rotationally or through match-ups, but the immediate trust to blitz against top tier guards showed the solidity of this team’s back-line rotations and defensive mentality.

So, how did this change put Miami in a better spot moving forward?

Well, Spo has clearly shown that he’s not afraid to shift the defensive coverage from possession to possession, but seeing Miami survive with Yurtseven as a blitzer or off-ball mover, tells me the Adebayo defensive play-book just opened up.

It means that offenses will never get comfortable. Adebayo can drop and blitz, switch and double, or lay back as the free safety in the zone. These conversations are easier to have when Vincent and Martin are hounding guys at the point of attack, but that 7 week hiatus from Adebayo may have changed some perspective on that side of the floor.

And more importantly, that is something I believe Erik Spoelstra has already slipped in his pocket to return to come playoff time.

On the offensive end, many things just simply come down to player production at the right time, since this is a team that has quite the amount of options down the line if one guy isn’t performing up to their standards.

But as much as adjustments have been made on the defensive end all year, double that for their offensive structure.

No Adebayo and Butler is a hard combination to be without when running an offense. Luckily for the Heat, PJ Tucker stepped up in a way that it almost felt like they weren’t even gone, since they utilized him in a very similar fashion. (Which makes absolutely zero sense in theory)

They would line Tucker up on the strong-side wing with his back to the basket, and flow into their heavy movement offense with stagger screens, back-cuts, pin-downs, hand-offs, and more. That usage shot up even more when they’ve been without Kyle Lowry, which hasn’t been for too long aside from this past week.

But figuring out that Tucker can play in these different spots, and expanding his offensive role little by little, can really change things when they get everybody back. For one, staggering lineups is truly unnecessary when looking at the amount of creators they have on the roster, but it also allows them to put guys like Adebayo in more score-friendly spots, Lowry in higher frequency off-ball spaces, and Butler can essentially split “carries” with Tucker in many ways.

Along with finding that Tucker can play within a bigger role, they found some places to insert him into along the way as well. Something I’ve brought up frequently is Miami’s recent offensive base, which I briefly displayed when discussing the role of Tucker previously.

As seen above, it leaves Miami with a simple insert pass to a guy like Butler on the wing, four guys clear-out to the weak-side for the action to begin, and chaos quickly follows. A bunch of misdirections are used in the process to try and put the defense in a very awkward position, eventually leading to an open cutter around the basket or a three-point attempt on one of the flares.

This may seem oddly specific and unrelated to the original topic of Miami finding things in the process of being without top players, but I highly doubt we would have seen such a diverse offensive playbook in the event that Adebayo and Butler were healthy for the majority of the season thus far.

And yet, that’s what makes this Heat team much more promising as they move forward, and much different than last season’s team: they’re a diverse group now.

Lastly, we’ve still yet to see one of the main elements to this Heat offense due to the inability to get them at full strength: mid-range play.

As much as they’ve previously been a super high spot-up three-ball team, they’ve been last in frequency within that category for quite some time now. And with three of their four best players having a high talent for the mid-range jumper, while Butler has it at times, that was the theme of this team coming in.

Even when Adebayo went down, many of those things carried over. Herro and Lowry still attacked drop coverages at a high level like they usually do, but the mid-range numbers dropped from 15 a game to 10.5 a game over that span.

Why is that?

Well as much as Spoelstra can emulate everything on this roster, that rolling pull-up threat was just no where to be found on this team. Tucker developed a nice looking floater, but that’s not a mid-range roller that they were missing. Yurtseven and Dedmon don’t have that in their bag, it’s one of Martin’s only offensive deficits, and Markieff Morris may be the only one to obtain it, but he hasn’t played in a very long time.

Now, as Adebayo returns to the lineup, who exits at this very moment?

Lowry and Herro, as Herro entered the protocols and Lowry has been away from the team due to personal reasons, which also could be the much needed time off this season.

So let’s take a look around the roster again, what guards can fill the ball-handler pull-up void without those back-court guys?

Duncan Robinson and Strus definitely aren’t the guys for the job, Butler hasn’t been hugely efficient with that this year, and Vincent has actually done it to a decent degree, but not enough for defenses to worry about it.

The point is that it’s been a constant adjustment period within one of the team’s biggest offensive strengths, but they’ve found a way.

And now if that element isn’t falling, like what happened against Milwaukee in last year’s post-season, alternatives are being found sooner than before.

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Talking about getting whole with top level talent is one thing, but getting the pieces back together to experiment within lineups and sets is another thing.

As I said prior, this Heat team sits atop the East, even though they’ve experienced a never-ending cycle of guys exiting and others returning.

“It’s best case scenario when you’re able to learn in a win,” said Duncan Robinson after the Heat’s win over the Lakers. And that right there is the theme of their season so far.

They’ve been in rough spots, picked up on new players and schemes for the long haul, yet still find themselves in the one seed in the Eastern Conference.

There’s no doubt this Heat team is better suited for a lengthy late-season run following the pick-ups they have made along the way.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Lakers

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The Miami Heat came out firing against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, but barely squeaked it out in the end.

PJ Tucker came up big down the stretch with big play after big play, but Caleb Martin sealed it with a late steal and finish to close it out.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Jimmy Butler bounce back…with bounce passes.

Jimmy Butler has been a hot topic recently after his struggles down the stretch against Atlanta, but like he usually does, he bounced back. Not in the same scoring manner that he always comes back in, but with a complete passing display that gave him 10 assists well before the halftime buzzer even went off. How was he getting guys such good looks? Well, part of it is guys just hitting shots at a high level. But the main element was his overall half-court movement. Stagnant nights lead to rough shooting and rough passing, but when you flow with the off-ball movement shooter, great things happen. That’s what he did throughout that first half, and it’s something to keep in mind with the other big 3 counterparts. It allows Bam Adebayo to be aggressive Bam Adebayo, which he has been, and it leads to Kyle Lowry needing to step up as the off-ball scorer we know he will be come playoff time.

#2: Duncan Robinson playing his game.

When I say Duncan Robinson was playing his game, that doesn’t just mean he was hitting from deep. It’s about the process. As I’ve discussed on every one of these takeaway pieces, Robinson shooting without hesitation is the key. There have been too many occasions where he slightly hesitates in a fashion he hasn’t in past years, and we’re seeing a breakthrough at this point in time. Another point that must be made is that Robinson is 100% a drop killer. It’s something I’ve brought up about Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry when they face drop coverage with their mid-range pull-up, but Robinson elevates that even further when he’s hot. All it takes is one defender to eliminate for an open three to be found, and that’s what got him going early. And well, many potential playoff match-ups will see a similar look.

#3: Miami playing the “help defense” game all the way.

Usually I take a section of this piece to talk strictly defensive scheme, but something else was noted on that end. For starters, as expected, Erik Spoelstra went immediately to his coveted match-up move with his versatile front-court, placing PJ Tucker on LeBron James so Bam Adebayo can quickly switch onto him with Tucker dropping on Dwight Howard. But as we saw right after, that wasn’t the primary move. The change was that no matter who LeBron had on his back in the high post, that help defender would come swarming. Jimmy Butler kicked that off with constant gambles, and it leads to some swings, some help, and usually a three-point attempt from a below average shooter when looking at that Lakers’ starting lineup. Both Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin picked right up in Butler’s spot with swarming help, furthering the point that these guys aren’t just on-ball stoppers. They’re complete defensive threats.

#4: Once again, Dewayne Dedmon is the ultimate back-up big for this Heat team.

The funny thing about the Dewayne Dedmon-Omer Yurtseven conversation is that…it’s not a conversation. Like I’ve stated many times, Yurtseven did some outstanding things as the filler on this team, and will continue to evolve and play that role this season, but the back-up big role is Dedmon’s and it isn’t close. The reason for that is the best quality for a back-up big is consistency, and man is that an adjective for Dedmon. Every single night he plays, he gives you the same exact thing. Simple rolling, great hands, exceptional finishing. And well, he extends plays. When playing the role of small bursts, energy and play extension are two of the biggest non-statistical elements. Dedmon has definitely shown that he’ll bring the energy, but fighting down low for fouls is the equivalent of exciting Yurtseven offensive rebounds. And yet, probably a more reliable element in this role specifically.

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#5: Confidence win for Miami.

Talking about confidence wins when the Heat beat a struggling Lakers team may seem odd, but they needed to follow up that rough ending against the Hawks. Not only that, but the ugly offensive showing needed some cleaning up, and it wasn’t about the team aspect. Much like tonight, Robinson, Martin, Vincent, Strus, and others came up big to give Miami a chance. But Butler’s struggles and the lack of Herro and Lowry held them back. Well, tonight, Butler and Adebayo proved yet again they can get up for hyped up games, and don’t need every last piece, just like Herro and Lowry didn’t for big games prior. This Heat team has found ways to win with many different combinations, but the back-end of the rotation has stayed familiar. And it should look familiar as they move into the playoffs as well.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Atlanta

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The Miami Heat lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, and well, it was a wild finish.

Miami didn’t even seem like they’d be in that position, but they made a late push to only trail 2 with 10 seconds left and the ball in their possession. A Jimmy Butler corner three was the result, while it felt like that was the last option on that play.

Anyway, here are some general takeaways from this one…

#1: Patchy stretches to finish first half: turnovers, inability to get into actions, blending into defense.

To touch on some negatives of Miami’s early play tonight, the stretch in the second quarter where Atlanta went on a 14-3 run showcased some things. For one, turnovers can’t happen in general, but essentially against teams that don’t mind getting out and run. The reason for the turnovers could be thrown in a few different directions. The easy thing to say is that it was visible they couldn’t flow into their offense as smoothly, but why was that the case? No Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro, the highest usage guards on the team, means the usage rates raise for others. Gabe Vincent is obviously one, but an interesting one was Caleb Martin. He’s been given the keys to fill every role, but that one did not feel necessary to trigger actions. Those issues began to lead into defensive struggles during that stretch, which is the bigger picture problematic element.

#2: It’s not specific schematics with Max Strus. It’s a mindset.

Watching Max Strus go for 15 points in the first half leads to some individual game takeaways with him. There’s nothing different or outrageous about the way he’s used or goes about his offense, but his mindset is the only thing that is different. For one, I don’t think he’s ever seen his on-ball defender. Why is that? Well, he’s never had time to take note of him when the ball is in his hands, because that ball is going up as soon as he sees a green light opportunity. But when dissecting more scheme specifics, his cutting has been a very useful, surprising element that makes him more of a weapon within Miami’s movement offense. He’s instinctive. When he cuts, it’s in the moment. When he shoots, there’s nothing else on his mind. And well, that’s a pretty great trait for a shooter of his caliber.

#3: Pick and roll scoring threats anyone?

When Bam Adebayo was out, the element they missed within their offense was that rolling pull-up threat, since no other front-court mate could provide that. Now, without Lowry and Herro, they showed to be lacking the ball-handler scoring element within the PnR. Gabe Vincent has emerged immensely in that space, really reading situations well when the defender goes under a screen, that it’s his turn to pull. But looking across the roster tonight, aside for Jimmy Butler who wasn’t showcasing it often, they just didn’t have that scoring threat within that action. That was why we saw more hand-offs, Adebayo perimeter surveying on cuts, and usual perimeter ball movement. Their hands were tied behind their back without that head of the snake, but obviously adjustments are the story of their season.

#4: Bam Adebayo-Omer Yurtsevem?

The Bam Adebayo-Omer Yurtseven front-court combination has been a hot topic in terms of lineup projections recently, and well, we saw some of it tonight. After PJ Tucker went out early, they were forced to move in this direction, which as I’ve said is the one scenario where it makes a ton of sense. Now, with what we saw, the defensive flexibility is definitely intriguing. It’s something Adebayo is very comfortable with, as Yurtseven drops in the pick and rolls and Adebayo can switch out to anyone without worry about the backside or offensive rebounding. But as great as this is, it’s not all rose pedals as expected. The offensive spacing is still heavily forced. And it was clear Erik Spoelstra would agree, as most of the sets being run were double off-ball screens with those two, so the strong-side interior would be clear. There’s some good and some bad, which is exactly what happens when you’re filling a hole in the lineup. It won’t be the last we see of it.

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#5: They had a chance…but couldn’t capitalize.

No Kyle Lowry. No Tyler Herro. No PJ Tucker. That was the story for Miami in this one, as their offensive showing, as noted prior, was just very underwhelming. Add onto that, Jimmy Butler was just not playing like himself on the offensive end, simply lacking that shot creation that was so heavily missed in this one, capping it off with a missed alley-oop layup to take the lead late. Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Max Strus are consequently relied on so much more, but they did their part in a general sense. We so often hear the phrase “We have enough,” but it didn’t feel like that was the case with the top heavy guys either dropping out or not playing to their standards. Beating a team twice less than 2 weeks ago is usually an awkward formula, and we saw that from a desperate Atlanta Hawks team. But ultimately, they had a chance, but couldn’t fully take advantage late following the impressive come-back. Plus, down 2 on the last play, a fading, contested Butler triple wouldn’t have been my choice.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Blazers

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The Miami Heat took down the Portland Trail Blazers at home on Wednesday night, behind pure role player domination and Bam Adebayo late takeover.

Many guys had their moments, including Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent, but Adebayo took over with no Kyle Lowry, no Tyler Herro, and no Jimmy Butler late.

That’s big time.

So, here are five takeaways from this one…

#1: Some Bam Adebayo flashes of total offensive awareness.

Bam Adebayo was the topic of last game but in more of a forceful sense. On his return day, he showcased some defensive sustainability but wasn’t providing the total offensive weaponry as expected. Tonight, though, we saw the flashes that many want to see. To begin the game, Duncan Robinson ends around for a DHO, but his defender is totally fronting him. Adebayo turns, dribbles, and pulls up right into a jumper that went right through the net. That’s the guy many have been awaiting, and that wasn’t the only first half possession that was seen. On the other side of the floor, I saw something that I’ve been saying must be seen more often. Switching will always be number one on their list when he’s on the floor, but blitzing is necessary with his athletic build and quick speed. Late in the second quarter, that blitz led to an easy turnover, which is even easier when Caleb Martin is the other on-ball guy spearheading it. But his late offensive takeover iced it, and it was all about Adebayo’s mindset.

#2: Wait, Jimmy Butler ejected?

Jimmy Butler definitely felt he was getting fouled often in the first half. He’s not one that barks at the refs possession after possession like his point guard counterpart, but something flipped after an and-1. He looked to be sending a message to the baseline referee as he went to let him know in his face about the fouling spree, which totally warranted a technical. Emphasis on “a” technical. As he turned to walk away, still talking to some teammates around him, the second official slid in to give him his second technical. That one, not as warranted in my opinion. Was Butler that upset about the no-calls? I doubt it. As I said, it felt like more of a message that Butler wasn’t expecting to end in ejection. Either way, extra rest isn’t the worst thing for the Heat’s star player.

#3: The bench mob takeover.

Speaking on more of the specifics of the first half, it was more of the “others” that shined, and more importantly, kept Miami afloat. As the starters lacked that offensive chemistry to create similar looks, the bench group came in facilitating that ball at an elite level. Gabe Vincent-Kyle Guy-Max Strus-Caleb Martin-Dewayne Dedmon is quite the lineup to rely on for a good stretch of time, but well, it worked. Martin and Strus ended the first half with 11 points a piece, each doing it in different ways. Strus more of that ignitable spark that gave Miami that extra push when needed offensive to finish possessions, and Martin more of that persistent spot scorer who can utilize terrific footwork, the occasional three, and pure athleticism down the lane to put points on the board. This grouping was intriguing, but I don’t know if I can say it was surprising. I feel like I’ve seen this same show for 44 games.

#4: Another Erik Spoelstra third quarter adjustment.

One of Erik Spoelstra’s best coaching games this season was the home match-up against Utah earlier in the season. Why is that? Well, he made one single adjustment that turned the game around in Miami’s favor. Tonight, he made a similar move. Miami’s back to strong switching with Bam Adebayo back, but that also can be worked to their advantage with PJ Tucker on the floor. And after Jusef Nurkic was really dominating the interior, Spoelstra shifted the match-ups to stick Tucker on CJ McCollum and Adebayo still on Nurkic. What does that mean? Well, every screening action ended with Adebayo on McCollum and Tucker on Nurkic. That’s a win for Miami on both fronts, even if rebounding standards scare you. That one move put Miami right back in it to finish the third quarter strong, as Martin exploded on the other end.

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#5: Gabe Vincent’s improvements are no joke.

While it may feel like Caleb Martin deserves his own section after the big time push he gave them in the third, he’s been discussed enough upon his outstanding efforts. But somebody I touched on briefly that must be discussed more is Gabe Vincent. Finding rotation minutes for him aside, we’re witnessing a guy that has made continuous jumps in areas that weren’t even being focused on from outsiders. As many were just speaking on the perimeter shot falling, he’s taken that bet and raised it. Vincent has improved both his handles and vision to a completely other level, that make him quite the NBA level player, as he took over to begin the fourth with continuous feeds to Dewayne Dedmon. And well, defense hasn’t even been mentioned after he was stealing, deflecting, and fronting anybody that came his way. He’s not Kyle Lowry, but he’s treated as such when Lowry is out.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

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Follow these steps to improve your golf game

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Golf is a wonderful sport that has been enjoyed by people for generations. It’s one of the few sports that can be enjoyed at any age, with players as young as 5 years old and as old as 90+. However, if you want to improve your game, there are some ways to do so. Here are some steps to take to improve your golf game.

Invest In A Golf Launch Monitor

A golf launch monitor is an electronic device used in the sport of golf mainly by professionals or high-level amateurs who want to know how far they are hitting their drives compared with other professionals or against par. They also allow you access information about the direction and speed of shots which will help you make adjustments when necessary. The information is usually presented as graphs, charts, and tables. One of the best ways to improve your golf game would be to invest in a golf launch monitor. You can take a look at https://www.golfinfluence.com/gear/accessories/best-launch-monitors/ to see some of the best monitors and which is best for your needs. The monitor records data about your drives such as direction, speed, backswing position, and angle of attack. This information will allow you an analysis of different aspects of your swing and help you make adjustments when necessary. You can also compare data from previous times you have used the launch monitor to see your progress over time

Make Sure Your Warm-Up And Practice Sessions Are Effective

In between each hole on a course, golfers usually go through a series of warm-ups and practice swings which are very important for improving your game. However, to improve your game, it is important that you don’t just go out on courses or practice areas and hit ball after ball without having any specific goals or aims. It’s best if you come up with some drills so that you get more effective practice sessions such as focusing on distances and accuracy rather than just hitting balls at random targets around the range. If you get more specific with targets, you’ll know exactly what you need to improve on and the goals will be much more effective.

Do What You Love To Do And Practice It Often

The best way to improve your golf game would be to do what you love and then practice it often. To get better at playing a sport, repetition is very important. The more times you play the sport, the better you will get. So make sure that when you practice or play rounds of golf, you are focused on enjoying yourself while also putting in the necessary time and effort required for improvement. Doing this will allow all your hours of practice and rounds of golf to be more effective by helping you overcome mental blocks and perfect your technique so that improvements can be seen over time.

 

In addition to getting into a routine of practicing, you should make sure your body is physically prepared for it. This means exercising (running, swimming, weightlifting) to build up muscles and cardiovascular health plus eating well (eating whole grains instead of refined carbs). If you are not in good enough shape to play golf, you will find yourself tired towards the end of a game or outing which may cause frustration and hurt your game overall.

Improve Your Short Game

One of the best ways to improve your game would be to focus on improving your short game. A short game refers to shots that are taken within 100 yards of the hole which usually include chips, pitches, bunkers, sand traps & putting. These are some of the most difficult shots because they involve approaching balls from different angles, speeds, and elevations. If you can master these shots and improve your score by sinking more putts, chipping close for a tap-in birdie rather than a three-putt par, and getting out of sand traps with fewer strokes it will go a long way towards improving your game and helping you lower your scores.

 

Golf is one of the most time-honored sports that has been enjoyed by people for generations. However, to enjoy the sport and improve at it over time, certain steps need to be taken such as investing in a golf launch monitor, using drills in practice sessions so they’re more effective than just hitting balls at random around the range, making sure you enjoy what you’re doing and practice often, be physically prepared for it by exercising, eating well, and getting into good shape, focus on improving your short game which usually includes chips, pitches, bunkers, sand traps & putting. If you follow these steps to improve your game, you’ll find yourself having more fun while also enjoying the sport over time.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Raptors

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The Miami Heat took down the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, and it was quite the opposite of last game.

In the Bam Adebayo return game, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro led the way, Caleb Martin provided the spark, and PJ Tucker closed with a big shot.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: My early game Bam Adebayo evaluation: dominating on one end.

When a guy with the build of Bam Adebayo comes back from a 7 week absence, of course one part of his game is the fastest to come back: defense. The offensive stuff early honestly showed some first game jitters and excitement with some easy drops, but they were also forcing stuff to him as expected. But defensively, he picked up right where he left off. Against a very unique Toronto Raptors team with length and quickness, rotations must be super crisp when switching to this degree. And well, they were. No matter when they made that feed inside to that final pass into the paint, Adebayo was always lurking to muck up that end result. He’s a rotational monster, and it was good to see his speed wasn’t lacking. He’s been conditioning for some time now, so it isn’t surprising, but locking back down on that end for this next stretch is essential.

#2: More Tyler Herro talk: an important addition.

Something I’ve talked about since the beginning of the season is Tyler Herro’s developments against different coverages. He’s found outlets for each one, but a single match-up always caused trouble: length. And aside from a team like Cleveland with never-ending bigs, Toronto is as unique as it gets, especially when the defensive game-plan is to swarm him. Early on something was noticed: he just has to work so much harder for every single bucket than usual. The thing about that was he was working hard to find the gaps, and he was dominating in those gaps. He found the dead spots on the floor with the Raptors hedging super hard, and it’s hard to slow him down from there. Game impact is one thing, but making that much of a jump mid-season is a completely other thing.

#3: The difference in the hand-off.

The one thing on everyone’s mind heading into this one is how will Duncan Robinson respond. They inserted him back into the starting lineup for a potential Bam Adebayo revival with his shooting, and we saw some positive trends there. But when looking at the hand-off specifically, what changes depending on the big feeding Robinson? Well, I picked up on some things. Bam Adebayo sizing up on the strong side with some between the leg dribbles in the second quarter, as Robinson flies up the baseline shortly after. Adebayo doesn’t turn immediately, he gives one last size up dribble then hands it off to Robinson for a smooth transition. Bucket. When watching guys like Omer Yurtseven or Dewayne Dedmon run similar things recently, it’s a full body turn for defenses to read and pick their poison. Now, it’s quicker. It can surprise you. And there are more versatile threats. That isn’t why Robinson has struggled before, but there’s a noticeable difference among that grouping.

#4: Jimmy Butler’s all-around display: a career trend.

After essentially the worst shooting game of Jimmy Butler’s career, going 1 for 11 from the field, he followed it up like he usually does. With aggressive scoring and total all-around play. He was filling up that stat-sheet on a night where it felt like he was forcing things many possessions to get Adebayo going, and rightfully so. But seeing Adebayo back meant a shifting role for PJ Tucker, and we saw a bit of a Jimmy Butler safety blanket added to the arsenal. Tucker has been plugged around in a ton of different places, but we saw a lot of dunker spot reps tonight. That means when Butler is dissecting pick and rolls like he was tonight, he’s going to find that trusted roamer when his defender begins to ball watch. Butler was the steady hand tonight, but more big picture, the offensive combo of Butler and Tucker is brewing.

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#5: Caleb. Martin. Isn’t. Leaving. The. Rotation.

It’s just as simple as that headline reads. I’ve talked about the play of Caleb Martin in almost every takeaways piece, but the same ending is sustained: Caleb Martin has climbed the ladder, and he’s not climbing back down. There are good defenders in this league, but the current run that Martin is on isn’t normal. Shutting down elite guard after elite guard. Or at least slowing them down. Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Trae Young, Fred VanVleet, etc. Even if the stat-sheet doesn’t show that with that match-up, he just alters game-plans night in and night out. The fact that he can pressure the ball in this way is just something else at this level. Plus, he’s been shooting the three-ball in a way that wasn’t expected, and has provided rim pressure in surprising fashion. He’s a home crowd spark. Big play after big play, and well, he’s here to stay.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Philly

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The Miami Heat fell short to the Philadelphia 76ers on the second night of a back to back. Duncan Robinson and Max Strus shot the ball poorly, Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler couldn’t get it going, and offense just wasn’t being generated enough.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Omer Yurtseven comes out dominating.

The match-up between Omer Yurtseven and Joel Embiid went in a total different direction to begin this one. While it seemed like Dewayne Dedmon is the more physical body to slow down Embiid, they stayed with Yurtseven, and man did it pay off. Not only did he semi-handle Embiid defensively, but he was the primary offensive threat to kick off this game. Hitting pockets when they blitzed Jimmy Butler, planting himself in the dead spots of the drop, and continuing to develop his chemistry with Kyle Lowry in the pick and roll. It felt like this was the final showcase for Yurtseven before Bam Adebayo returned Monday, but he’s only making the new rotation decisions harder. It’s a good problem, but still a problem.

#2: Caleb Martin is constantly everywhere. Emphasis on everywhere.

Caleb Martin is a continued conversation piece in these articles, but tonight just tied a bow on all of it. Simply, he’s everywhere. Always. On both ends. One play where he was the sole trailer for Jimmy Butler on the break led to an easy bucket for Martin, and that is the definition of his play. Reliable, energetic, and always in the right spots. We always talk about him plugging the role of Butler, but it needs to be said that he has plugged the role of everybody at one point or another. PJ Tucker, Max Strus, etc. His versatility speaks volume, and this isn’t just a two-way player overplaying his value. This is a rotation player on a contending team. And I think he will be here for a while longer after this season.

#3: A different halftime position. A better halftime position. But still couldn’t close it out.

The Atlanata Hawks were up 70-64 at the half on Friday night, while Miami led 50-43 on Saturday. Obviously the fact that they were leading in this one puts them in a better spot, but take a look at the numbers from both games through 24 minutes. Yeah, tonight was definitely much more of a Miami Heat game, but ultimately, it still came around and hurt them. Erik Spoelstra and company were not pleased with their defensive showing in the first half on Friday, but tonight was much better. Forcing Joel Embiid to make that kick-out as they helped down majorly, but the key with that is they were banking on strong rotations. And after that was problematic against Atlanta, it was clearly a focus heading into this one. But like I said, the other end was the problem now.

#4: Rotations are changing. Scheme could be changing.

To take a slight step away from the true specifics from this one, there are some things that must be noted as we pick on some trends. For one, after Miami seemed to struggle with the 10 man rotation last night, they shrunk it down to a 9 man rotation tonight, as expected. That meant Gabe Vincent got squeezed, and as good as Yurtseven has played, he feels to be next. As Bam Adebayo returns, not only will the rotation shift, but the offensive game-plan will shift. Spoelstra won’t just totally flip things back to pre-injury, but it’ll clearly be mixed in. Butler’s mid-post possessions will be split 50/50 with Adebayo, Lowry’s passing demeanor will be much more lob/pocket mode, and most of all, they will be looking for takeover Adebayo. We’ve seen Yurtseven do it at times, and Adebayo will need to pick that up and expand.

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#5: Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry lag behind in scoring column. 

For most of this game, you would look over to the stat sheet and see that Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry were 6th and 7th on the team in scoring, which is pretty odd in a close game against a very hot Philly team to say the least. To be honest, that sentiment says a lot about the guys I’ve already discussed in this piece. Guys like Martin, Yurtseven, and Tucker just really kept them afloat in times of need, as both the shooters in Robinson and Strus had very rough shooting nights from deep. This wasn’t like the usual Butler performance, which is why it’s more eyes on him aside from the Robinson talk, but I feel like he got the shots that he usually gets but couldn’t knock them down. It happens, but that’s kind of the difference in a game like this.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Atlanta

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The Miami Heat take down the Atlanta Hawks in dramatic fashion. Jimmy Butler closes it out with an acrobatic finish.

Anyway, here are five takeaways from this one…

#1: Max Strus, as a starter once again, comes out scorching.

Max Strus and Duncan Robinson have been linked together for some time as another shooter was rising the charts on this Heat roster, but now it’s an either/or thing. Strus has gotten the start over the last few, and rightfully so. For one, as I’ve mentioned before, Robinson and Tyler Herro have shown to be playable together for longer stints. And secondly, there’s a specific offensive combo that has looked seamless when they share the floor: it begins with Max Strus and ends with Jimmy Butler. Aside from IG comment trolling, there’s something there with those two offensively, and combine that with an unconscious shooter at the moment who seems like he never misses his first shot. It’s something to monitor, but Strus is the reason Miami got out to an early lead.

#2: Miami finding offensive outlets against familiar themes early, but other things stall.

Talking offense in the first half is a bit interesting considering the Atlanta Hawks put up 70 points on the Heat in that span, but some things were noticeable. For starters, the Heat began adjusting to the adjustments. As Miami loves to dish out that 2-3 zone, they received it a ton tonight. They caused some mishaps to begin, but a lineup change got them out of that real quick. PJ Tucker at the five, Jimmy Butler at the four, and planting Butler right in the middle of that zone to dissect. That’s the formula. The issue was that other things were breaking down, and it begins with a good plan, but poor execution. Hunting Trae Young is great, but not when it gets in the way of the offensive game-plan. That’s what happened in that second quarter specifically.

#3: More Tyler Herro blossoming flashes?

Tyler Herro in the first half wasn’t the greatest on paper, since he had a -20 plus-minus, which is hard to read with the total score flip in that first half from starters to bench. But when focusing on the positive side of things, it’s another one of those games where the minor improvements stick out. For one, there were about three straight possessions in that second quarter where he cooked the entire Hawks defense, but the end result shot just ended up missing. The key there was that he can create for himself and others, while most of those plays weren’t even using a screen. Also, he’s bothered Trae Young over this two game stretch. This isn’t saying he is locking him up, but Herro has looked like a much improved defender when getting that match-up: moving his feet, leveraging his body, etc. Something to keep an eye on.

#4: An Omer Yurtseven third quarter push.

As Miami opened up the second half, they were looking for that next offensive push. Could Strus explode again? Would aggressive Lowry make an appearance? Does Butler enter takeover mode? Nope. Instead, they all saw what was being given, and kept feeding Omer Yurtseven in every single crevice. Post play mismatches, easy rolling lob passes, and some mid-range flip shots to round it out. 10 points in the quarter only halfway through was quite the boost to get from a player like that, but it’s great to see him taking advantage of things on that side of the floor. Time is limited with Bam Adebayo set to return on Monday, but that’s not to say opportunities won’t continue to rise. This is a very odd season, but with a fully healthy front-court, Dewayne Dedmon is in front of him in that line.

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#5: Mixing up the match-ups.

Tonight was pretty much a defensive mess aside from the first few minutes of the first quarter. But as it went down to the wire in the fourth, we saw Miami picking up on some things defensively. For one, they found the place to set-up Kyle Lowry on that end, which was guarding Danilo Gallinari. The reason that was so important is him being able to play up against bigger perimeter players, since that allows guys like Tucker or Caleb Martin to guard Trae Young. They also made the adjustment that was fully expected to place Tucker at the 5 once again, since the way they were being picked on defensively needed to be shifted. From a more big picture sense, that’s not something we will see much of since Bam Adebayo will close every game, but they will have options.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882