5 Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Wizards

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The Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards on Friday night, in what felt like a must win game. A strong Kendrick Nunn performance, once granted the opportunity, was promising for his role moving forward. Well, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Bam Adebayo getting to a familiar spot on the floor: The free throw line.

The first thing that stood out tonight for Miami was the franchise centerpiece, Bam Adebayo, getting to the free throw at an absolute incredible rate. He went 11 for 11 from the line in the first quarter, and I’m not sure if making 11 straight free throws, or getting fouled that many times is more impressive. Drawing that many fouls alludes to a certain level of offensive aggression, which was needed from their stars on a night that was essentially a must win. 19 first half points on only 4 shot makes truly shows where his mind was with the ball in his hands. Of course it’s great to look at this from an individual perspective, but it’s necessary to look into the near future a bit. If Adebayo can continue to make this a part of his consistent offensive package, things not only change for him, but for this team.

#2: Kendrick Nunn gets an opportunity, Kendrick Nunn capitalizes. 

Avery Bradley will be out for approximately a month after the recent injury, which ultimately means more Kendrick Nunn minutes. When looking back at the recent stretch where Nunn stepped in, he was one of Miami’s most consistent players surprisingly, but somehow ended up being the odd man out again. But tonight, he officially looked like the guy who finished second in rookie of the year voting a year ago. Nunn scoring 15 first half points on 75% shooting gives an idea of how his night was, but the continued question will be if he can sustain it for a long period. And well, the only way to answer that question is to give him an opportunity for a long stretch, which he will have over the next few weeks. Miami adding a straight up scorer into the rotation may be the immediate fix at the moment, and can help them string together some wins.

#3: Jimmy Butler playing with a purpose, as seen through his body language and facial expressions.

One thing that was noticed about Jimmy Butler out the gate was his level of intensity he was bringing, by his body language and facial expressions alone. He seemed to know exactly what he was going to do in that first quarter, which is give Miami as big of a lead as possible before exiting. And the main goal from there was about keeping their foot on the gas pedal, which is exactly what they did to close the half. Some nights I discuss the necessity of Jimmy Butler stepping up offensively to be the superstar he is, but tonight his superstar leadership levels were more important. The players can bounce off of that fairly easily, especially since guys have been talking about the need to play for each other. Butler setting the tone early in the game says a lot about the footprint he looks to put on this team game by game.

#4: A Kelly Olynyk third quarter confidence booster.

I’m pretty sure everybody is aware of the roller coaster of Kelly Olynyk. You see the high of highs and you see the low of lows. The thing about his peak levels is that they’re generated or sparked by a specific moment. And well, after Miami held a trusted lead in the third quarter, he began to get his shot going, and that may be all he needed for this next stretch. When Olynyk plays with a lead, he always seems to play at a different level, which could have something to do with a bit less pressure to get shots up. Either way, this specific moment in the game may not seem to hold much value, but there’s a possibility it does in the grand scheme of things. And only time will tell if that quarter can be sustainable for Olynyk over larger minutes.

#5: The starting lineup changes, but could it change again?

Now, I definitely didn’t expect bringing this up as a possibility tonight, but here we are. Tyler Herro looked very good tonight in the sixth man role, mostly since he knows his role is to just score the basketball without an immense amount of worry as a point guard. Goran Dragic started in his place, and although he looked good, it’s just not sustainable for a 34 year old to get an increase in minutes this early in the season. But after the Kendrick Nunn performance we saw yet again tonight, could he find his way into a starting position? I mean, it would allow Dragic and Herro to direct the second unit as they did last season while Nunn can be granted a scoring role for the starters which could be a huge boost. Although I believe Herro will be back in the starting lineup, it’s something to evaluate as a possibility for the near future.

Miami’s Continued Search to Find A True Identity

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The word identity is something that Coach Erik Spoelstra continually harps on, and as of right now, it’s apparent this Heat team has yet to truly find it.

There are a few reasons for this. For one, the current personnel does not allow them to excel in one particular area, due to the many one-way players on the roster. The Brooklyn Nets, for example, may not be a great defensive team, but they know their identity is just to outscore the opponent.

Miami’s lack of point of attack defenders make you think that’s the only issue, but the guys who can defend don’t being a whole lot offensively.

Another thing that can lead to the finding of an identity is a strong bond between a team, as we saw this Heat team had in the bubble. But as of right now, many players are discussing things relating to finding that connection that they once had.

Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro mentioned after Wednesday’s loss that they need to play for each other once again. And Kelly Olynyk mentioned after shoot-around today, “The more time we can spend together, and build those connections and bonds, is going to be good for us.”

Now, the main reason this stuff about utilizing time to “build connections” is being discussed, is because this season is the complete opposite of the bubble. The only thing there was to do in the bubble was go to practice as much as possible, which allows Miami to thrive. Also, being around one another for a long period of time contributes to on-court success.

This season though, they basically want you to practice as least as possible, due to all of the testing things you must go through in order to  get into the building. This led to Miami not having shoot-arounds in the morning before games ever, except for today.

I’m curious if players will take it upon themselves moving forward to go through early morning testing and practice more, to try and fix whatever the issues are at the moment. Since the Miami Heat answer always seems to be more work, especially a team led by Jimmy Butler.

If Miami moves forward without any roster changes, this may be the only fix to find a true identity. This will lead to Miami needing their best player, Jimmy Butler, to step up in a much earlier fashion than previously expected.

As players have said, it’s about taking it game by game, and that’s exactly what the Heat must do over this next stretch. Once they string a few wins together, the issues of this team will become much less obvious.

A Breakdown of the Miami Heat’s Late-Game Offense

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The Miami Heat dropped yet another game on Wednesday night, this time to the Washington Wizards. One of the biggest issues that stood out was late-game offense, since spacing, sets, or even lineups looked to be problematic.

Take a look at this deep dive into the Miami Heat’s late fourth quarter issues from Wednesday night…

– Crunch time bucket leads to disappearing ball movement

As seen here, the game is tied with just under 3 minutes to play. This is usually the time where Miami’s offense begins to shift a bit for no apparent reason, although it shifted earlier than usual against the Wizards yesterday. There are a couple things to takeaway from this possession. For one, Goran Dragic dribbling around down the stretch is not what Miami wants to take place, but it seemed as if it was necessary. While Miami’s off ball movement became stagnant late in the game, Goran took it upon himself, per usual, to try and make a play to bail Miami out. And although he finds a way to do it a lot of the time, it didn’t occur last night. Identity is something that should continue to be discussed, since offense changing late in games means the offense does not have a clear identity.

– Sloppy possession down the stretch against the league’s worst defense

To be completely honest, this might be the worst offensive possession I’ve ever seen. For starters, Tyler Herro taking the three to begin the possession is a classic Tyler Herro shot, but highly unnecessary. He’s being guarded by a very poor defender in Davis Bertans, and had the opportunity to attack the basket 2 on 1 with a rolling Bam Adebayo. Then Tyler gets the ball in the corner to drive baseline, and makes the right read to find the open Goran Dragic, but passes it over his head. This leads to more chaos, since Kelly Olynyk holds on to the ball while shifting his feet a bit. Although you don’t want Kelly putting the ball on the deck, he acted as if he was trapped when he could have kept the dribble alive to get a man open. Somehow this possession ended up in a foul call, which was ruled not in the shooting motion, granting Miami another chance at a score, which is shown next.

– No offense generated leads to unnecessary shot attempts late in shot clock

The following possession with a short shot clock, Miami had another chance to tie this game up. Jimmy attacks the basket on the crowded side of the floor, and forces a pass to a back-peddling Kelly Olynyk who fumbles it a bit. He makes the pass back out to the perimeter, and the possession ends up with a Jimmy Butler three at the end of the shot clock. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing in this league, you just don’t win games when the offensive execution in a tight game looks like this. Also, take a look at the beginning of this play. Not only does Jimmy Butler not look at the basket and stare at Kelly Olynyk the entire time. But more importantly, he had a rolling Bam on the open side of the floor, who could have thrown it down if Jimmy threw the lob pass. As mentioned previously, the team’s best players need to be the best players down the stretch, and Miami leaning on other guys instead ultimately hurt them once again.

– Need a bucket should mean need Jimmy Butler

To continue my previous statement, a team’s best player must be the guy closing out a game for you, especially when his name is Jimmy Butler. But as seen here, Miami is down one with 20 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler does not even touch the ball. This doesn’t mean that others are taking shots that they shouldn’t be taking. It actually means that Jimmy needs to be the voice that he always is to say “give me the ball.” On this play, he watched the possession play out without even calling for the ball, and as I just said, that’s an issue. This big time possession began with a Bam Adebayo dribble hand-off to Kelly Olynyk. And if you take a closer look, the interior is wide open to begin the play. Bam had a clear opportunity to take Alex Len one-on-one to the basket, which he has shown to be one of his biggest strengths. But ultimately, that didn’t occur and it ended in yet another empty possession.

– Final shot of regulation showcases a few issues

Now, there are a couple elements to this final possession of regulation. For starters, not only is the best shooter on the team not on the floor, but one of the best shooters in the league. Even if there is a higher comfort level to run this exact offensive set to Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson must be on the floor. Kelly Olynyk standing in the corner on this possession just showcases my point even more. For one, having the option to pass it in to Duncan Robinson for a turnaround catch and shoot three is always great to have. But more importantly, his gravity is something that is constantly discussed, and it could have created increased opportunities for others with the defense watching Duncan closely. Either way, the entire Washington defense knew what was coming when Tyler Herro was the in-bounder, leading to a tough shot and a tough loss.

Arenado trade has big NL Implications

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Here in Miami, we know a thing or two about trading away MLB stars. As we’ve seen the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna take their talents elsewhere, we have become accustomed to trades that leave Marlins fans feeling as if they got the short end of the stick.

 

At least the Marlins aren’t the Rockies right now. The Rockies started the short 2020 season a scorching hot 12-4. They finished 26-34. And now, they have let go of their franchise 3rd baseman, Nolan Arenado. Being heralded as the worst trade in Colorado history, this trade left the Rockies even worse off and the St. Louis Cardinals in prime shape to re-emerge as the NL powerhouse of past years,

 

The Rockies effectively paid the Cardinals $51 million to take the 8-time Gold Glove Winner and 5 time All-Star off their hands for minimal return.

 

This trade continues to shape a blooming National League, and here are the key reasons any team (including the Marlins) should take notice:

 

NL Central becomes more defined

 

With this trade, a 2020 Wild Card berth for the Cardinals looks to transition into a 2021 NL Central Championship, especially with the Cubs under a firehouse sale. With Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Jack Flaherty, and an overall solid roster to back them up, the Cardinals are the new favorites in the Central. Most likely, this leaves the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to fight for a Wild Card spot.

 

Wild Card Back May go back to Normal

 

Talks on this subject are 50/50, between maintaining an extended playoffs and returning to a normal structure. If there is a return, the structure leaves multiple teams that succeeded last year in a much worse position. 2 Wild Cards means and 3 Division Winners means 3 less teams in October. With all 3 divisions looking relatively decided, there is not going to be much excitement for teams such as the Marlins.

 

    1. NL West: Dodgers or Padres (2nd place will be WC1)

 

       2. NL Central: Cardinals

 

       3. NL East: Braves or Mets (2nd Place will be WC2)

 

No extended playoffs means a determined 5 or so teams. In my opinion, the level of competition from those competitors in a long 154 game season will outlast teams such as the Marlins, Brewers, and Phillies that rely on a smaller sample size to succeed.

 

Overall

With a more determined “top 5” emerging in the NL, teams like the Marlins need to hope that extended playoffs are here to stay. If not, the NL will shape up exactly as we expect it to.

 

 

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5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Washington

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The Miami Heat went down to the wire with the Washington Wizards, and lost yet again in a game that was basically a must win. Some awful and sloppy late fourth quarter offensive possessions led to yet another late Miami collapses. Here are five takeaways from the game…

#1: Tyler Herro must’ve heard the Bradley Beal trade talks.

Well, Tyler Herro seemed to play with an offensive purpose in the first half on Wednesday night, and it just so happened to be against Bradley Beal who is constantly in trade talks. Seventeen points while shooting 7-9 from the field in the first half is impressive on it’s own, but the way he was doing it stood out more. The reason shots were falling at that rate was because of the confidence level Tyler was playing with. It’s always visible with his body language on his jumpers oddly, since when he jumps higher utilizing his legs, the shots looks better. It also makes those opportunities easier when he’s able to get to the rim as easy as he does now. His touch around the rim continues to impress, since as I’ve mentioned in the past, he utilizes the backboard in a way that not many players do at his age.

#2: Miami’s offense turned to constant penetration and paint activity.

When discussing the Miami Heat’s offense, it usually begins with three point shooting generated by dribble hand-offs. But tonight the plan seemed to include getting to the rim, not only for a good portion of possessions, but basically the entire first quarter. This is a very positive thing for a few reasons. For one, early activity at the rim allows increased three point opportunities for guys like Duncan Robinson as seen in the second quarter. It’s also the area of the floor where Miami’s two stars love to operate. It wasn’t about getting to the rim for Jimmy Butler to get points, but instead where that got him which was the free throw line. If Miami can continue to rely on their play around the rim and mid-range area, it opens up everything in their entire offense.

#3: Miami’s perimeter defenders became essential on isolation sets.

Jimmy Butler, Avery Bradley, Andre Iguodala, and even Bam Adebayo are the guys known for wrecking havoc out on the perimeter when defending one-on-one. And after seeing a good amount of isolation sets from Washington, it generated transition offense for Miami. Andre Iguodala is known for his unique and active hands when defending individually, while Avery Bradley’s defensive grit and will was shown by his ability to pick up full court. Jimmy Butler also got a good amount of deflections, which is pretty much expected when he is on the floor. Miami clearly has defensive holes that tried to get covered up by these guys on the perimeter, and it worked for possessions early on. Now, that probably won’t be the case on a nightly basis, but it’s a positive aspect for Miami’s high impact guys.

#4: Third quarter offense becomes stagnant, settling for threes once again.

It’s one thing to get into your offensive sets and shoot up open threes. It’s another thing to get away from dribble penetration completely to begin chucking up catch and shoot threes. The play I discussed tonight that proved Miami getting away from what was working was a 3 on 2 fast-break, which led to Jimmy Butler kicking it out for a Kelly Olynyk three. These empty possessions add up, especially when offensive spacing basically becomes non-existent out of nowhere in the third quarter. The common denominator for Miami’s lack of offensive effectiveness begins with Jimmy Butler becoming a non-factor as he began to shy away from the ball. Even on a great scoring night from Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler is the only person who can spark and generate a working Miami offense, and when he begins to play off the ball, things fall apart.

#5: The continued quest to find their offensive identity.

Finding the identity of this Heat team is something Coach Erik Spoelstra has harped on since the beginning of the season. The issue is that it’s hard to have a sustainable identity with the current personnel, due to the mix of one dimensional guys either defensively or offensively. Looking at the Brooklyn Nets for example, although their defense looks to be very problematic, they know their identity is just to score points and outscore the opponent. Miami’s inconsistent lineups doesn’t allow a natural flow, since there’s no wholesome continuity generated on either end. As mentioned previously though, nonstop offensive aggression from Jimmy Butler patches those issues up a bit, but when he becomes an off-ball guy for long stretches, it leads to Miami falling off on both ends of the floor very fast.

Odds to consider for Super Bowl LV: Chiefs vs. Bucs

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It was a wild and bumpy ride on the COVID bus to get here, but now we are just a few days away from the big game.

 

Super Bowl LV has the young, explosive offense – and great RZ defense– of the Kansas City Chiefs playing an actual away game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

I mean, what are the odds that the team from the hosting city actually makes it to the Super Bowl? I don’t know the formula to work out the specific probability, but it has to be akin to winning the lottery– because it has never, in the history of the NFL, happened before the 2020-2021 season.

 

Speaking of odds, let’s look at the odds for the main Super Bowl LV betting markets just keep in mind that there could be changes on lines during the week, keep yourself updated

Kansas City Chiefs Versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds

 

The point spread has held steady at -3, in favor of the KC Chiefs. You can find the Total at 56.5 at most betting outlets. The money line shows the Buccaneers as +150 dogs (Chiefs -168 @ Bookmaker).

 

I actually really like the Buccaneers on the money line to win. Yes, the Chiefs are a better team, but the Buccs have beaten the odds already this season by becoming the first team in history to play in the Super Bowl that they are hosting. On top of that, there is the Tom Brady factor. 

 

Then there is this to consider: since 2002, the underdog has won the Super Bowl 13 times to the favorite winning just six times. That means the dog wins nearly 70 percent of the time (68.42). The favorite has won two years straight, which is the most we’ve seen since 1995 when the Favs won four in a row between 1992 and 1995. So, I’m all over Tom Brady and the Buccs as dogs in this fight.

 

On top of aloof this, including the whole beating the odds as the hosting team thing, the Buccaneers are literally playing as the home team. This is a significant advantage, even without a real crowd in the stands. The Buccaneers get to sleep in their own beds, practice using their own facilities, and don’t have to travel at all. This is a massive boon for Tampa Bay.

 

When we get into the power ratings, some indexes have the Buccaneers rated a full point higher than the Chiefs. ESPN’s FPI lists the Chiefs at 9.4 to the Buccanneers’ 8.7. Now, because of the COVID factor, we are not going to give a full 2.5 points to Tampa Bay. But, home advantage is still easily worth a point and some change. So, no matter how you slice it, the Buccaneers come out on top of the power ratings.

Super Bowl Props for Consideration

Most Penalties in Game by Type:

 

  • Holding +275
  • False Start +280
  • Offsides/Neutral Zone/Encroachment +425
  • Any Other +500
  • Pass Interference +600
  • Illegal Block +700
  • Delay of Game +1400
  • No Penalty in Game+10000

 

I love holding at +275 because both teams’ offenses will get a couple, plus we could see both defensive units put a couple more on the boards. Pass interference is a good option as well because I believe they are absolutely not going to ‘just let them play’. The zebra jerks will be throwing flags left and right to avoid any ‘no-call’ debacles. 

 

False start is a common penalty, but since it only has each offense going for it, I think taking a slice of holding with a side of pass interference, which or not mutually exclusive to offense or defense. 

 

I also took OVER 10 penalties in the game at the sweet, sweet price of +125. This total seems low to me because the average combined penalties per game in 2020 was13.65. 

 

You could always throw down a few bucks on those favored Super Bowl props like, who’ll win the coin toss, what color will Mahomes headband be, how long will the national anthem last, who will the MVP shout out to first: God, team, mom, etc. But these are all just flips of the proverbial coin, except for betting the coin toss … it’s a literal flip of the coin.

The Awakening of Jimmy Butler Has Arrived

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When looking at the current state of the Miami Heat, it’s clear that taking it game by game is necessary since they’re 7-13 through 20 games and sit at the 13th seed in the East.

It’s been a roller coaster of events for the Heat to start the season, but now with a healthy roster, it’s time to takeoff. And more importantly, it’s time for Jimmy Butler to takeoff.

Jimmy has the ability to step up in every facet, as he showed in his first game back after missing three weeks to Covid. This is his team, and he’s now going to prove that yet again.

It has been discussed that saving Jimmy Butler for a playoff run is essential, but in order to make a playoff run, you need to actually get into a playoff seed. And now, he’s going to look to takeover now before it’s too late, and possibly rest later.

He’s the superstar of this Heat team, and he can turn it on at any moment. The only question with him has been when he decides to turn it on, but that time is now. If there’s anything that is known about Jimmy Butler, it’s that he hates losing more than the average person.

Although he declined to speak with media after Monday’s loss, Goran Dragic said yesterday after practice, “It’s no excuses Jimmy said.” The message in the locker room and practice the past 24 hours has to be a strong one. And not just from Jimmy, since Goran said nobody could sleep after their performance.

The point is that not only is Jimmy Butler the star of this team, he’s also the leader. And going from making the Finals to starting the season 7-13 does not sit well with him. Of course he will still be the guy who sets up teammates and gets others involved, but he won’t let it get to the point that it got to Monday night.

If Miami has a 10 point lead against a lower tiered team, you better believe Jimmy will take initiative to close it out so it doesn’t come down to a buzzer beating three point attempt.

As mentioned before, he has a switch that can be turned on at any moment, and starting tonight that switch will be turned on once the whistle blows at 8:00. Jimmy said a few nights ago, “The losing is over,” but now that he had to take that loss right to the chest, it seems as if that may be true now.

Jimmy Butler has been awakened, and now a display of offensive firepower and winning mentality will try and lead Miami back into the mix over this next stretch.

BSTEVR Sims Super Bowl LV

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BSTEVR stands as one of the new and exciting tools online for sports fans. This innovative concept brings to life some of the long-standing and long-argued what-ifs in football history. These days, the BSTEVR simulator tackles Super Bowl LV.

The concept itself is simple: to help sports fans get more out of what they love. Using real-life player data, BSTEVR creates new, fantasy sports experiences tapping into the endless curiosity, imagination, and passion of fans. Every experience is built to be social and shareable creating a destination for fans to go before, during, and after the games.

And with Super Bowl LV around the corner, fans have flocked to bstevr.com to run their own simulations of the Big Game.

Using BSTEVR

BSTEVR crunches real-life data from pro-football-reference.com.

What’s fun about this simulator is that the rosters are completely customizable, across the history of the NFL.

What that means is, if Dolphins fans wanted to, they could simulate what 2020 would have looked like if Dan Marino took the snaps at quarterback. BSTEVR can even simulate what Miami’s season might have looked like with Deshaun Watson at the helm. So there’s some data to weigh the question between Tua and Watson.

These simulations crunch real-life statistical data, pulled from Pro Football Reference, and spit out results for each matchup. The readout provides three of the most interesting simulations of the hundred run within three seconds.

Afterwards, users can read a BSTEVR generated game story, chock full of stats from the simulated contest. These game stories read like real-life events, putting the reader amid the action. The stories provide a clear picture of how the simulation unfolded, down to the key plays and key players for the contest.

From there, readers can review the simulation’s boxscore and see how their favorite players faired in the game.

So what does BSTEVR think Super Bowl LV will look like?

The BSTEVR Super Bowl LV Sim

One of their simulations gives Tampa Bay the win 56 percent of the time. For Tom Brady, he’s making his NFL-record 10th appearance in a Super Bowl. He’s won six of them (another record) and earned four Super Bowl MVPs along the way (yet another record). His counterpart, Patrick Mahomes, is looking to become the first starting quarterback to repeat as Super Bowl Champ since Brady did it for the Patriots back in 2003-2004.

This game could also be one for the record books considering the two offenses at play here. The Chiefs enter with the NFL’s top offensive unit. KC led the league in yards-per-game (415.8) and passing yards-per-game (303.4). They posted 29.6 points-per-game (6th-most). The Buccaneers, meanwhile, scored at a higher-clip per game (30.8) and have kept their offense humming in the postseason.
Tampa Bay has scored 35.7 points-per-game over their last six games, and are averaging 30.8 in the playoffs. The Chiefs have upped their per-game point total to 30.0 in the postseason.
In one of the site’s many simulations, the Bucs beat the Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LV. And Brady earns his fifth Super Bowl MVP along the way. BSTEVR already has an entire collection of Super Bowl simulations readers can enjoy or users can sign up for free and start their own simulation.
BSTEVR supports FiveReasonsSports.com. Find BSTEVR at their website, on Twitter and Facebook.

A Breakdown of Miami’s Fourth Quarter Collapse

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The Miami Heat had a tough loss on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets, after they blew a 10 point lead with 3 minutes left. The reason for this late-game collapse had mostly to do with the defensive end, but there were also some offensive issues that led to relying on their less average defenders.

Here’s a look into what happened under three minutes in the fourth…

– Searching for match-ups means more on Bam Adebayo’s plate

When mentioning defensive issues, this was the start of it. Charlotte’s offensively sounded guards began to find favorable match-ups late in the fourth, which led to them blowing by to get to the rim. This consequently means Bam Adebayo is looked toward to step up and stop penetration, but as he was stuck behind Cody Zeller here, it led to a foul call. These are the moments of the game that give a perspective of the many things Bam has to deal with on that end of the floor every night. The next defensive possession after this, Malik Monk took Tyler Herro off the dribble, leading to a leaning mid-range shot in front of the rim. And since shots weren’t falling for Miami offensively, it made defensive possessions even harder.

– Never get out of rhythm

This play was not only a big swing for Tyler Herro, but also the rest of the team. Tyler got the ball in the corner for a wide open triple, and took an unnecessary gather dribble, which took him out of his rhythm leading to a miss. There are many reasons why players should never put the ball on the floor instead of shooting the ball in rhythm. For one, that one dribble is the most unorthodox move for a player, since it’s never used in game. It’s either catch and shoot, or dribbling to shoot in motion. Dribbling once into a shot is not something Tyler or anybody gets many reps of on a daily basis. This swung the shooting confidence for Tyler Herro moving forward, and could’ve extended their lead to nine points.

– Miami misses easy ones, Charlotte makes difficult ones

This was the theme of this Heat-Hornets game late in the fourth quarter, Miami missing an easy shot while Charlotte knocks down a very difficult shot. Defensively on this possession, there’s nothing much you can do since having one of your top defenders, Andre Iguodala, on Devonte Graham at the top of the key is exactly what they wanted. The missed bunny on the offensive end though is the type of shot that is needed to extend the lead at this point. This was the following possession after the Herro missed three, since there was a foul called down low on his missed shot. Miami had two easy opportunities to put themselves in a good position, but couldn’t do it, which led to them relying heavy on the defensive end and that is not ideal with current personnel.

– Late-game indecisiveness leads to empty possessions

This play may not look like anything special since Jimmy Butler made the right read to give it to the open Andre Iguodala, but it’s much more than that. There are teams late in games that go immediately into iso ball, and there are others who continue their normal offense with ball movement. Miami doesn’t seem to know their exact identity at this point of the game, since Jimmy Butler looks to go the isolation route after dribbling for 21 of the 24 second shot clock. But he then does exactly what the defense wanted him to do, which was kicking out to Andre Iguodala on a catch and shoot three. The issue is not that he passed the ball to an open Iggy who was hitting them all night, but instead that these types of possessions prove the uncertainty of Miami as a team late in games.

– A necessary stops needs necessary execution

Now this is the play that truly stood out when discussing defensive execution. Charlotte drew this play up in the timeout, which it was clear it was going to the scorching hot Malik Monk. Cody Zeller ran a dribble hand-off in the exact part of the court Miami wanted them to. Two of Miami’s most trusted defenders are guarding it, Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo, but as Iggy gets screened on the end-around, Bam was needed to step up and cut him off. They’re looking for the triple as they trail by 3 with 20 seconds left. And as mentioned, if Bam cut him off, Monk would’ve had to dump it off to Cody Zeller, which is exactly what you want at that point of the game. Small defensive issues like this led to a Miami loss, especially since Miami’s offense at this point could not be relied on either.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Hornets

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The Miami Heat finally had a full roster on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets, and fell short in overtime. A Max Strus scoring display into a Jimmy Butler closing display wasn’t enough after Miami slowly lost their 10 point lead with 3 minutes to go. Anyway, here are five takeaways from the game….

#1: Max Strus gets early playing time, and surprises just about everybody.

Max Strus being able to shoot the basketball is no surprise to Erik Spoelstra and this Heat team, since Spo mentioned before the season that he rarely missed in training camp. And well, he rarely missed in the first half, scoring 17 points with 5 threes. Two early Duncan Robinson fouls led to Max getting thrown in 3 minutes into the game, and the Miami Heat motto is to always be ready. Miami’s ability to utilize Duncan Robinson has been great, but becomes harder with the amount of defenders that constantly fly out at him. Not many know about the name Max Strus, which allows him to make an opposing team pay. The theme this season has been opportunity, and the unique situations as of late allowed Max to make his name known on this roster. If he keeps up this impressive offensive play, Coach Spo will find a role for him on this team.

#2: Precious Achiuwa enters as immediate spark.

It’s honestly impressive that Precious can get thrown into a game and make immediate impact. He doesn’t need time to adapt into a game setting, instead he can check in and block a guy off the glass from behind. Getting to finally see him with a healthy roster is the most important part, since his connection with Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic has been clear, but his ability to roam the interior when Jimmy Butler attacks looks efficient as well. Coach Spo does not have to worry about certain fits when inserting Precious, since he just makes everybody on the floor better, which isn’t normal for a rookie. As I’ve mentioned before, he just knows his role and does not stray off from that exact offensive task. And that’s exactly why he’s so effective and is trusted every single night.

#3: Goran Dragic and Avery Bradley struggle early upon return.

The first half of a game when returning from an absence is always difficult, and that was apparent for Avery Bradley and Goran Dragic tonight. They were combined 0-7 from the field in the first half, which is clearly unlike the offensive savvy Goran Dragic. But their presence alone means immediate impact for this team. Avery Bradley’s perimeter defense against Charlotte’s solid guard depth, and Goran can settle down the second unit once again. Spo has not been able to go to that core four bench unit in quite some time, but finally gave them some run tonight with a full roster. Andre Iguodala settled in offensively with a healthy team, knocking down much needed threes down the stretch, while Precious has his favorite lob passer out of the pick and roll back. Although scoring and efficiency wasn’t there for Goran and Avery early on, everything else from them were positive things.

#4: Kelly Olynyk bounces back with efficient shooting night, but can’t stay on court.

Kelly Olynyk is known to have games where he shoots the lights out and struggles from beyond the arc majorly. And after a few games in a row where he struggled, the bounce back game was upon us. He hit two first quarter triples to begin the game, which is the most important part of the game for Kelly since it foreshadows how he will play the rest of the night. It mostly has to do with the fact that he has a role he can stick to with a normal starting lineup. Constant penetration from Jimmy Butler and company allows many opportunities for Olynyk, and it just comes down to the jump-shot falling. The issue is that he’s not the answer as the starter next to Bam moving forward, and as seen tonight, he’s clearly not a trusted player down the stretch.

#5: Bam Adebayo stepping up in his strongest areas, but still not enough.

It’s widely known that Bam Adebayo’s overall impact begins on the defensive end. And when Miami needed to get into a rhythm with Jimmy Butler on the bench, Bam began to wreck havoc on that end of the floor. Taking one-on-one assignments on the perimeter, blocking shots, double teaming. He did it all. Instead of always waiting for Bam to step up in a separate area every night, it’s necessary to evaluate the areas he does takeover since it truly is impressive. One of the most interesting parts about his defensive play is that when smaller guys see a big switch onto them, they look to take advantage. Except it’s an outstanding perimeter defender with length standing across from them, and it leads to turnovers from kick-outs as seen in the fourth quarter. But obviously there’s much more to defense than just Bam, and as seen in overtime, Miami’s point of attack defense began to breakdown once again.