Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Miami Heat come up short in fourth-quarter comeback in Milwaukee

Tyler Herro’s homecoming soured despite his efforts to prove a point after breaking his hand at Fiserv Forum 19 minutes into the Playoffs. This time, the Heat got Bucked, with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the stampede. Bam Adebayo was absent with a hip injury and unable to shield the paint plus switch outside. Haywood Highsmith was still out with a left knee sprain. For three quarters, Orlando Robinson auditioned for a new squad – the Beijing Royal Fighters. And still, the Heat clawed back to within six points during the last 30 seconds.

Even with the missing contributors, Herro was the singular Heatle who came prepared until his colleagues picked it up late. A night earlier, the Atlanta Hawks thumped the Bucks by 17 points and, at one moment, had them down 31. Monday, there was no chance of that, given how Miami pantsed Milwaukee in the Postseason and was hurt going in. Cream City’s unit was sloppy in the first half but still in control.

In the opening quarter, the Heat used the 2-2-1 press to slow the Bucks, not allowing any fastbreak buckets. Herro exploited Milwaukee’s drop coverage, hitting consecutive high-difficulty floaters over Bobby Portis. Thomas Bryant scored eight points by cutting and posting. Jimmy Butler recorded nine early points before taking his foot off the gas.

The Heat was tied at 28 after a quarter, but the Bucks charged to a 7-0 run before coach Erik Spoelstra called timeout. He’d seen enough after Herro was blitzed and ripped on two possessions by Portis, and Butler looked disinterested not playing with Lillard. Rookie Jamie Jaquez Jr. then missed four shots in a row before the close of the half.

O. Robinson was BBQ and picked up two fouls in three minutes. One of his penalties was so obvious that when Spo instinctually cried flop on Cameron Payne, referee Tony Brothers walked past him, rolling his eyes. Josh Richardson left 3-point shooters open, but Herro kept the group on life support with the squad’s three final baskets of the quarter, pushing his output to 18 points.

At intermission, the Heat was down 52-62 following a last-second top of the key trifecta, swished by Jae Crowder when Herro over-helped on the wing. The Bucks scored 28 points in the paint and 11 were off Miami’s turnovers. Antetokounmpo and Portis repeatedly mauled the backline.

Next came the infamous turd quarter as the Bucks went on an 11-4 run before Spo called another break that failed to stop the bleeding. For the period, Herro was the team’s offense, but the Heat conceded 14 of 22 baskets to eight different Bucks, digging a 25-point ditch.

Milwaukee then committed the cardinal sin of not extinguishing the Heat’s embers. In the fourth, Spoelstra benched Butler, and the visitors chopped away with a bevy of 3-pointers and paint attacks. O. Robinson nailed a bomb from the corner, beat Portis off the dribble from the top to the cup, scored at close range off a roll, and had five rebounds and five assists. Duncan Robinson canned three triples.

With under two minutes left, D. Robinson cut the deficit to six as he maneuvered to the square for a transition floater. His leaning 3-pointer in front of two defenders on the right wing was the last retaliatory blow the Heat landed.

Milwaukee won 122-114.

After his third match with the Bucks, Lillard said as the team goes on, it will continue to get better. “We [have] a great starting group, but I think one of our greatest strengths is our bench, our depth. When we [have] guys coming in, moving the ball, playing with energy, getting deflections… we’ll be a hard team to beat.”

At the postgame presser for the losing side, Spoelstra said his group earned its 25-point deficit, but then the young crew battled back. “I’m sure Milwaukee was just trying to play it out, hoping we were going to go away, but our guys did some good things out there…we just need to move the needle this week.”

The Heat’s record is now 1-3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Takeaways from the Miami Heat’s loss in Minnesota

Three games into the season, the Miami Heat are already below .500 after losing its first road back-to-back set to the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. In both defeats, the Heat let go of the rope late.

Saturday, Jimmy Butler was the only NBA player to rest for a game, per the NBA injury report. Meanwhile, Kevin Love has a shoulder contusion, Haywood Highsmith has a left knee sprain, Caleb Martin has left knee tendinosis and Josh Richardson has right heel inflammation. The Heat is lucky trainer Jay Sabol and Co. worked around the clock to straighten out Jamie Jaquez Jr.’s left groin strain and Duncan Robinson’s left foot sprain.

The Heat were in it for three quarters, but through the game…

The Timberwolves got into the paint at will

Against man-to-man coverage and some 2-3 zone, Minnesota invaded Miami’s interior for 58 points, easily entering via handoffs, pick and roll, dribble breakdowns and crashing the offensive glass. Last season, the Heat had the strictest paint protection in the league, only permitting 46.2 points in the square. Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson and Mike Conley were the main culprits. In total, the Timberwolves made 29 of 46 paint tries.

This is where it would have been nice to have Butler. He could have helped stop the ball outside, contest in the paint, or intercept a pass in the lane.

The Heat played faster than usual in the first half

Thirteen of 22 fastbreak points were scored in the first half. Steals and quick outlet passes pushed the pace like Love was on the court. This gave the Heat a boost because, for the game, it was only dropping 76.3 points per 100 half-court plays, per Cleaning the Glass. The second half was much slower, flowing at a pace rating of 95.0. The league average last season was 99.2.

The Heat couldn’t hit from deep or get to the line

The Timberwolves contested well against many of the Heat’s 3-point attempts after the catch and in drop coverage. Robinson found someone attached to his hip most of the night, causing him to miss eight tries. Kyle Lowry bricked over the length of Conley, Anderson and Towns. Jamal Cain couldn’t splash one either when the defense abandoned him, too. The only Heatle to shoot well beyond the arc was Herro.

The Heat was misfiring so badly that even Adebayo hoisted one up when the defense didn’t bother to leave the paint. But worse yet, the Heat couldn’t get to the line often to get the hosts in foul trouble and cut the flow of the game, giving themselves a breather. At the charity line, Miami made eight of 14 freebies.

 

Results of Adebayo and Herro leading in usage

Adebayo and Herro conducted 59.1% of Miami’s offensive plays and made 15 of 37 field goal attempts. In the first half, they were powering the Heat with a combined 25 points on 50% shooting.

In the second half, Herro was shut down on drives by Gobert and KAT at the rim. Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker forced him into tough jumpers, finishing the second half, making three of 12 field goals.

Adebayo was more of an offensive lineman than a scorer in the last 24 minutes, only taking five shots and making two. Before the game got out of reach, his last two dimes were feeds to Herro at the top of the key.

Collapse in the fourth quarter

The Heat entered the fourth quarter down seven points and proceeded to convert six of 25 field goals. In a six-minute stretch, the visitors missed 11 shots in a row. The offense was predictable, with minimal movement on the perimeter by off-ball players, allowing the Timberwolves to sag off, clogging the lane. Bad shots were taken early in the shot clock that prevented the Heat any chance at an offensive rebound.

Defensively in the last interval, Miami gave up four above-the-break triples and one in the corner because of unnecessary overhelp. Reid and Anthony Edwards took over, totaling 19 points on 88% shooting.

Boston Celtics pull away in fourth quarter against the Miami Heat

The Green Machine waited 151 nights for revenge and, in the meantime, reloaded with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis while it licked its wounds. Game 7’s home loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals was just the fifth experience for the NBA’s third-oldest club. It was also the first time the Heat took one of those, known as the “greatest two words in sports” on the road.

 

Friday’s contentious affair started with the Celtics exploiting the Heat’s weak corner protection. Yet the Heat raced to an 11-point lead six minutes in as Kevin Love’s outlet passing pushed the pace, Adebayo assaulted the square, putting Porziņģis in foul trouble, while Tyler Herro bombarded over breakdowns. Then Boston went on a 12-4 run on a flurry of rim attacks.

 

In the second quarter, Jayson Tatum scored seven of nine points with Jaime Jaquez as his cover, splashing a left-wing triple, dusting and powering past him on the baseline. Jaylen Brown also had seven in frame two, intercepting an inbound for a dunk on Miami’s turf with a corner triple and layup against drop coverage.

 

For the Heat, Adebayo punched in eight more points, Duncan Robinson splashed back-to-back triples and Dru Smith canned a pair of trays as Jimmy Butler was invisible. With fewer than three minutes left in the half, the Celtics seized its first lead since early in the first quarter.

 

At intermission, the Heat was down 55-60, having permitted Boston 10 offensive rebounds that turned into 14 second-chance points. Equally concerning was that the hosts had scored 32 points in the paint and had recovered 57.6% of the rebounds, giving them four extra shots.

 

In the third quarter, Herro hit consecutive trifectas at the top and blew past Holiday on a drive. Adebayo charged at the cup multiple times and hit another faceup, midrange jumper over Porziņģis. For the stretch, the Heat converted 59.1% of its tries and were up a point entering the fourth quarter.

 

Then the Derrick White show began, with a 3-pointer at the key and a drive against drop coverage to extend Boston’s lead to three. He recorded nine more on his scorecard for the frame, plus Brown had a dozen. The visitors never claimed control again, despite Porziņģis fouling out with three minutes left with his team up seven. 

 

As the leprechauns’ fireworks display was ensuing, only four field goals dropped for the Heat- out of 19. Miami was forced to play mainly from the outside in the fourth and only scored one two-pointer– four minutes after making a singular shot in six attempts.

 

But the Heat had a chance, down three points with under a minute remaining.  Butler and Herro trapped White and the ball came loose. White saved it before dribbling over the halfcourt line, yet Butler was flagged for a penalty. Coach Erik Spoelstra challenged the ruling, but it was unsuccessful. He then screamed at referee Kevin Scott that he missed the call.

 

The Celtics were the nastier team, leading by four in loose ball recovered and offensive rebounds collected by five and won 119-111.

 

At the postgame presser, Spo said, “My view is one thing, and the explanation is another thing… that call didn’t go our way, but we had plenty of opportunities, particularly on the glass. I think if we just [cleaned] up those areas, we probably are playing from a position of control a little bit more often in the second half.”

 

In the winning side press room, Tatum was pleased not to carry the load late.  He said, “It shows the depth of our team… it felt good to win this way.”

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Miami Heat hold off Detroit Pistons in home opener

For the Miami Heat’s 36th season debut, 19,695 spectators filled the Kaseya Center as it hosted Detroit’s young Pistons. Early, the reigning East champs allowed its guests to record 11 of 19 first-quarter field goals, including five triples. Yet, despite shooting 25.8% higher from the field in the first quarter, coach Monty Williams’ squad only held a three-point lead because of eight turnovers, five of which were Miami steals.

Offensively, Tyler Herro was shooting blanks, missing seven of his first eight tries, but Bam Adebayo opened with seven points. Jimmy Butler dropped four baskets in a row after missing two. For the Pistons, third-year point guard Cade Cunningham maneuvered to the midrange and cup, shooting over Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Herro. Rookie guard Ausar Thompson swatted three Heat shots, defending the ball handler and swarming Butler twice after he caught a backdoor pass under the rim.

In the second quarter, Miami permitted just 31.8% of Detroit’s attempts to fall, held Thompson to a make out of seven and logged four additional steals. But Cunningham still beat drop coverage and switches easily, raising his output to 18 points on eight of 11 shots with two assists in the first half.

Of Miami’s six assists in the second interval, Duncan Robinson was involved in four as a passer or scorer. Rookie Jaime Jaquez and Butler set up the other two. Kevin Love’s outlet passing didn’t translate to dimes, but it put the Heat in the fast lane in transition.

At halftime, the Heat was up 58-47 but behind on the glass by six. Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren and Thompson, combined for 19 of its 27 boards, seven being offensive, turning into eight second-chance points. Miami wasn’t protecting the arc well either. However, it forced 12 misses in the paint, allowing Detroit only a dozen points in the square.

In the second half, Miami’s offense dropped off significantly because Detroit pressured the ball and sagged off Lowry to bother paint penetration or a nearby shooter. Yet, the hosts hammered the offensive glass, recovering eight boards and earned a handful of more trips to the line.

With over nine minutes left, the Heatles were up 19 points. That lead was reduced to one as Miami’s staunch paint protection disappeared, conceding the restricted area for six buckets and the perimeter for two triples. Adebayo switched onto Cunningham on five possessions, pressuring three misses on drives and a midrange jumper.

Cunningham’s 3-pointer with fewer than two minutes left, inching Detroit closer by a point, was his team’s last basket. He attempted three more but was contested by Lowry at the wing, rejected by Adebayo at the cylinder, and bothered by Butler at the top of the key on the last hoist of the night that clanked the side of the rim.

The Heat held off the Pistons in its season opener, 103-102, and finished with 19 second-chance points.

Adebayo, who finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, was then interviewed on the court about how the Heat made the stops to come up with a win. He said, “We did blow a lead, but as long as we [won] by half a point, we got stops down the stretch. That’s all that matters.”

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Miami Heat should avoid James Harden

Despite the Miami Heat striking out on Damian Lillard and folding on Bradley Beal, the next best alternative is not seeking the services of the man who has had a problem almost everywhere he’s been.

James Harden’s behavior perpetually plummets his attractiveness to any organization. At this point, it apparently means little that he is number three all-time in three-point makes, a former MVP, and a seven-time All-NBAer. Could it be, this time, that not even one team out there has convinced themselves that the Beard’s disruptions and shrinking in big moments are exactly what they need?

Yes.

President of basketball ops Daryl Morey has scared away suitors, demanding an exuberant return relative to his disgruntled employee’s talents. But Harden likely did more damage to his cause, engaging in a futile scorched earth tactic that only works when you’re still at the top. Last time I checked, he’s not as fast or impactful through residence at the free throw line as he used to be. If anyone brings it up to him, he’ll lean on old faithful: “Next question.”

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly don’t want to part with Terance Mann, a quality role player, in an exchange. This should say enough about others not wanting to put up with an aging headache in spite of him being a slight upgrade on the court. Even with Caleb Martin being eligible for an opt-out in a year, including him with other assets/players is not worth it for the Miami Heat because Harden can’t switch and contain multiple positions. Tyler Herro? Get real. Nobody is trading a nice player on the come-up for a lease.

Additionally, Harden’s catch and shoot frequency (12.8%) is nearly half of Tyler Herro’s (25.4), on a marginally higher percentage.

But Heat Culture can change him…

Oh yea? Did this culture, when it was the mystique for the Purple and Gold, change Maurice Lucas on the ‘86 Lakers? Nope. He was all about himself and believed he was so much better than he was at the time. Like Harden today.

If Pat Riley got upset at Byron Scott’s marriage during All-Star weekend, fearing it was a distraction to his team (per Jeff Pearlman, author of Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s), it’s beyond reasoning that he’d be elated to bring in the peep show enthusiast when everybody today has a portable camera. Harden should have been born 40 years sooner to play on Pat‘s teams.

Has anyone forgotten what Kevin McHale, his former coach, said fairly recently about Harden’s interest level after getting benched in a Playoff win against the Clippers in 2015? “The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired [11] games into the season.”

I’ll admit, Harden used to be damned good. In the three seasons he logged over 30 a night, he was playing a shockingly high amount of iso ball and embarrassing defenders. It’s an impossible style to win with because the offense becomes painfully predictable with a lack of ball and player movement. But for those few years, he was as good as a solo act got in the league.

Buyer beware: that guy is never coming back unless he gets traded to NBA Siberia and hijacks the operation.

Last season, Harden led all players in assists (10.7) at age 33. It’s pretty impressive, regardless of playing with the MVP Joel Embiid. But then the 76ers met up with the Boston Celtics, and he played scared in Game 7. He passed up open looks from close-to-mid range and sparsely contributed nine points on three of 11 shots, with seven assists and five turnovers. For the year, his effective field goal percentage was 53.6. In the Playoffs, it dropped to 47.8%.

This man badly wants to escape from the team with the MVP and a new championship coach. It’s unreasonable to think he is serious about winning.

Mateo’s Hoops Diary: In Dame deal, Cronin over his head

Jack Kent Cooke and Barbara Jean Carnegie. Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Alvarez.  Mick Taylor and The Rolling Stones. When relationships run their course, the end can be as bitter as watching a partner’s success without you. Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers are in the midst of a public divorce. We should be lucky it’s not as bad as it was for Tiger Woods, or no one has gone crazy like OJ.

 

Joe Cronin is that guy at the party who refuses to accept his partner (Lillard) is eyeballing the big shot in the room. Training camp is 11 days away, and Lillard keeps liking posts online thanking him for his services in Portland. Right now, it’s getting uncomfortable, but hopefully, it won’t turn toxic, but this is the NBA after all.

 

Friday, Cronin’s chief crony (Adrian Wojnarowski) echoed the calculated whispers fed into his shell that Portland was looking around the league for more offers and that recent chats didn’t include the Miami outfit. Comically, I heard no mention of the Heat daring them to find a better deal. History is likely repeating itself from last February when Woj insisted the Brooklyn Nets had no interest in trading Kevin Durant, only for him to pivot when he had no choice.

 

The reaction around the league for the KD swap was that Phoenix compensated Brooklyn fairly while getting away like John Dillinger. ESPN graded the Nets a B for the exchange, yet included this detail in its reasoning in its exclusive content: “It would be interesting to know what the Nets could have gotten from the New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors, teams with higher-upside young prospects and (in New Orleans’ case) tantalizing draft picks coming from the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.”

 

At the time of the deal, Mikal Bridges, the best player in the swap, was described as “the definitional 3-and-D archetype,” but since the trade, he has blossomed into a player on the verge of stardom.

 

By the way, Durant only helped the Nets win one series, tried to have the owner fire his GM and coach, and was gone midway through the first year of his four-season extension. Brooklyn got back Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Juan Pablo Valet (currently with Bàsquet Manresa), four First Round Picks, two Second Round Picks and one pick swap.  Durant is still in the top 10 in the world and likely among the greatest 25-ballers to ever touch the hardwood.

 

At the end of the article, there was this: “Ultimately, debating whether the Nets got enough for Durant is almost beside the point…”

 

Suddenly, these PR agents masquerading as analysts/reporters demand that the Trail Blazers get a war chest of picks, a star player, the rights to Michael Jackson’s master recordings and, if I hear correctly, a blood sacrifice.  Allegedly, Blazers brass wants the Heat to “scrounge” its bulletproof offer, too, but that would be an exercise in futility for Pat Riley’s team.  They won’t compete with themselves.  The adults in the room indicated the interest is there, but sloppy Joe Cronin has pigheadedly searched for a suitor that doesn’t exist beyond third-team relief.

 

Why should anyone else trade for Lillard? Don’t they know of the power the pissed-off star player wields and how coaches are quick to meet the proverbial guillotine? Let another team bring him in. I guarantee 30% effort on his behalf, enough to break a sweat but not nearly to win. Such a move would likely put the coach and executive’s jobs at risk for wasting everyone’s time. 

 

Keep in mind, one of the four pillars of South Florida media, Barry Jackson (Miami Herald), reported that Lillard would ask for a trade to Miami if dealt to another squad. 

 

Lillard is one of the top point guards in the league. Citing the Durant trade as the standard price on a deal is foolish.  Sub Zero (Lillard) is a Portland hero, and only Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler can say they did more for the team. But he’s never impacted winning like the Slim Reaper has. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell did go for hauls, but spare me.  Neither should have.  The Heat are not required to jump off a cliff because Cleveland and Minnesota walked too close to the edge and tipped over.  

 

Woj carrying Portland’s water won’t spur irrational action by the Heat.  With the season quickly approaching, I believe it starts, and Portland, at some point, circles back to Miami because the vibes are sour due to another season of mostly losing.  Lillard will eventually turn into the malcontent who can’t be around the young players because it’s clear what he wants is the last thing they do.

Most impactful Miami Heat players of all-time

The Miami Heat has been operational since the 1988-89 season.  Through its halls have passed some of the league’s greatest players.   The names below are staples of the culture and the most impactful competitors to represent the Heat.  

 

Honorable Mention- Mario Chalmers:

 

Chalmers was a great activator. His versatility as a combo guard made him an excellent catch-and-shoot option and cutter next to Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.  In the corners, Rio converted 44.6% of his tries, and those shots were 30% of his field goal attempts.  His marksmanship helped gape driving lanes in the half court, and he was good for a couple of paint baskets too.

 

Defensively, he was solid, reading the passing lanes and staying in front of ball handlers. 

 

During the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 Playoff runs, The Superintendent (Chalmers) averaged 10.4 points nightly while splashing 35.6% of his 3-point shots.   

 

One of his finest moments in White Hot was Game 4 of the 2012 Finals in Miami, dueling Russell Westbrook.  He recorded 25 points to Westbrook’s 43, but both couldn’t stop each other.  Chalmers relocated on the perimeter for catch-and-shoot bombs supplied by James and feasted on drive and cuts, finishing layups through traffic.  He tied with Wade for the second-leading scorer on the Heat. 

 

In the 2013 Finals, Chalmers got his licks in (19 points) on the Spurs as they were routed in Game 2. He dropped six quick points at the end of the third quarter that ignited a 32-6 run for Miami for the next eight minutes.  In Game 6, with the Heat facing elimination, Chalmers scored 20 points, making 63.6% of his field goals and four of five triples in 42 minutes.

 

If only coach Erik Spoelstra trusted him more in 2011. 

 

  1. Udonis Haslem

 

The Captain recently retired after 20 years of service, becoming the only guy alongside Dirk Nowitzki (21) and Kobe Bryant (20) to play at least two decades for one team.  

 

In his younger days, he was the perfect four next to Wade, capable of hitting the midrange shot, extending + denying possessions and playing fierce defense. As a third-year forward, Haslem was first in offensive rebounds during the 2006 Finals, where he averaged over six boards and over a steal.  

 

UD was one of the toughest men in the league.  He averaged at least eight rebounds in six seasons, one coming alongside the Big Three (2011).  

 

UD is a role model who gave up minutes so others could have opportunity and develop their skills.  He didn’t play much after 2016, but he could have if he wanted to go elsewhere.  In his career finale, Haslem scored 24 points on nine of 17 shots. 

 

9.Goran Dragić:

 

Steve Nash’s understudy, who later turned into an All-Star for the Heat, was the good soldier through multiple builds. He was elevated to team co-captain in October 2017 after leading the club in scoring the first year of Dwyane Wade’s departure.  He kept the title until he was included in the sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry.  

 

In seven years with Miami, Dragić played in 431 games, regular season and Playoffs combined. In 2018, he was like a wrecking ball attached to a crane for destruction when entering the lane.  He converted 57% of his layup attempts that year, and only 27.3% of his two-point shots were assisted. 

 

In the Orlando bubble, Dragić was Miami’s leading scorer, sweeping the Indiana Pacers and its second leader in the stat against the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.  While balling in Game 1 of the Finals, he tore his left plantar fascia, benching him until the last match, but he was still wounded.  

 

He was more than a gateway player between builds. Dragić was a star when Miami needed him to be one.  In his tenure, he recorded 13,394 minutes in a Heat uniform and finished 10th in Playoff scoring for the outfit (712). The Dragon will never be forgotten.

 

8.Bam Adebayo:

 

Bam Adebayo has become the Heat’s second-best draft pick, selected at 14th in the 2017 Draft.  In six seasons, he developed into a top-five defender and playmaking big with range up to 16 feet from the cup. 

 

Adebayo just turned 26 in July, and he’s already been a starter on two teams that made the NBA Finals while making the All-Star Game in both campaigns.  In NBA history, there are only 17 Center/Power Forwards who, at 26 or younger, had started for more conference champions than Adebayo, per Stathead.  He is also one of 37 players to do it twice by his age.  

 

Against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Finals, #13 was Miami’s strongest performer. He logged 21.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 41.7 minutes a night through five matches, primarily guarding Nikola Jokić too.  For the regular season (2023), Adebayo scored 1,098 points in the paint, second of all players, just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 2020, he finished fourth. 

 

Since “Paint Points” have been recorded by the NBA since the 1996/1997 season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Hassan Whiteside are the only other Heatles who have been top 10 in the stat. 

 

7.Chris Bosh:

 

CB sacrificed the most during the Big Three’s four-year dominion of the East.  He was a hybrid big with an inside-out game on both sides. His screening and deep jumper opened avenues for his partners, and he missed just 25 regular season games during that stretch. On nights when James or Wade, or both rested, Bosh would take over.

 

In road trips against the Hawks and Spurs without Wade and James and versus the Trail Blazers without #6, Bosh delivered a dub each night in style. First, on Jan. 5, 2012, in Hotlanta, he splashed a right-wing triple when Chalmers got doubled at the top of the key. 

 

Next season in San Antonio, on March 31, 2013, he buried another catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from straight away as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter followed Ray Allen to the left side. 

 

 In Portland on Dec. 28, 2013, off a poor feed from Wade, who was iced on the roll, Bosh canned a right-wing bomb over two defenders to close the curtains.  

 

His finest moment came in the last seconds of regulation during Game 6 of the 2013 Finals when James missed a left-wing triple.

 

“Rebound to Bosh, kicks it to Allen…,”  ABC broadcaster Mike Breen exclaimed live. Then Allen’s 3-pointer swished, forcing five more minutes.  At the end of overtime, Bosh tracked Green curling to the corner off a sideline inbound, met him 24 feet out, and denied the tie.  

 

When James left for Cleveland, Bosh shifted back to the first option. As the go-to guy, he earned two more All-Star selections until blood clots ended his career.  

 

6.Shaquille O’Neal:

 

O’Neal arrived in Miami at 32 but had three-and-a-half years of Diesel left in the tank.  In his first season in White Hot, he was second in field goal percentage (60.1) and #2 in MVP voting. Despite lower production than his season averages, he still logged a double-double in the 2006 Finals. Additionally, during that Playoff run, he was the league leader in offensive rebounds (75) and blocks (34).

 

Heat president Pat Riley said in 2016 O’Neal was the biggest whale he ever caught, giving him the most credit for “changing everything” for the Heat.

 

O’Neal could float in the air, power through and around defenders, and at times, devour double teams and glide down the court like a runaway train. 

 

In Game 6 of the 2006 ECF, O’Neal took charge, dropping 28 points, 16 boards and five blocks to push the Heat into its first championship series. In the next series, he assisted the squad in defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

 

In three Playoff runs with Miami, Shaq Fu averaged 18.8 points, nine rebounds and one-and-a-half blocks. 

 

  1. Tim Hardaway: 

 

It’s been 25 years since Hardaway last suited up for the Heat, and he still holds the two best passing seasons for the club. In 1998, he logged 672 dimes, and in 1997, 695.  The only other Heat player to crack 600 assists in a year is Sherman Douglas, doing so twice.

 

In 1997, Hardaway was the decision maker for Miami’s first 60-win (61) season, and with Alonzo Mourning, led it to the ECF, losing in five games to Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

 

His crossover was one of the most lethal moves defenders have ever seen, creating separation for a jumper or dive to the hole.  Between 1997 and 2001, only 20.2% of his two-point shots were helped on by teammates.  

 

  1. Alonzo Mourning:

 

Zo was the Heat’s first superstar. When he was traded to the Heat in 1995, it went from being a cute expansion group to a team on the rise.  The face of the team wasn’t just Pat Riley anymore, but a ruthless, two-way big with a dazzling smile shared that honor.

 

In 1997, he and Hardaway led Miami to the ECF, losing in five to the champions, who would repeat.  Then, the Heat fell three years straight to the Knicks. 

 

After helping Team USA win gold in the Sydney Olympics, Zo was gearing up for the next season (2000/2001) when a physical exam returned problematic.  He was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which robbed him of his gifts. Although, his health improved shortly, and he was able to play in the last 13 games of that year. But the condition persisted after the 2001/2002 season, where he played in 75 games.  He missed all of the following year.

 

Eventually, after a kidney transplant in December 2002, a short stint with the New Jersey Nets, and getting traded to the Toronto Raptors, who bought him out, Zo was back in black.  He would go on to play a reduced but highly impactful role in Miami’s win in the 2006 Finals.  In his brief 14 minutes in Game 6, Zo swatted five of Dallas’ attempts.  He led the series in blocks (9), playing just 66 minutes.

 

Heat lineups

 3.Jimmy Butler:

 

 In four years, the Jimmy Butler experience has resulted in two Finals trips, three tours to the Conference Finals, the most Playoff wins for any team since 2019/2020 (38) and a handful of personal awards. 

 

Butler led the Heat, as the fifth seed, past the East’s first-ranked Bucks in round two and the third-positioned Celtics in the ECF in 2020. In the Finals, he recorded two triple-doubles in Miami’s wins over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

 

After he missed the pull-up 3-pointer to tie in Game 7 at home against the Celtics in 2022, he vowed to come back the next season, and he fulfilled his promise. Under his leadership, the Heat became the second eighth seed to make the Finals and first Play-In group to do so. 

 

On the way to the 2023 championship series, Butler and Co. took out the top squads in the East, Milwaukee and Boston.  The Bucks were no match as he laid waste to their defenses.  The latter lost Game 7 at TD Garden, a night Butler had 28 points, seven rebounds, six dimes, and three steals, and also held The Larry Bird Trophy, in the home of the Green.

 

While hobbled, facing the Denver Nuggets in round four, JB averaged 41.1 minutes a night and was Miami’s leading playmaker (6.4) and second in scoring (21.6).

 

2.LeBron James:

 

He is the most talented player to put on the uniform.  James’ four years in Miami was him at his apex, winning back-to-back MVPs and consecutive championships as option one.

 

Defensively, he was the most versatile player in the league during these years.  In the 2011 ECF, he had moments neutralizing the reigning MVP Derrick Rose and also guarded Tony Parker at times two years later in the Finals.  He made an All-Defensive team in each season.

 

Offensively, he was an unstoppable bulldozer with better finishing numbers than most centers, while he took shots from everywhere.  He made jumping over John Lucas and slamming a one-handed lob look effortless.  Bodies would bounce off him, and he wasn’t phased, like when he pulverized Jason Terry, converting an alley-oop pass in Boston.  And he was a killer. At the old Oracle Arena, he isolated Andre Iguodala, stepped to his left and buried a well-contested left-wing triple for the win. Wade didn’t play that night.

 

In Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, before Ray Allen’s equalizer, the Heat was down 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter. To hold off a hostile championship celebration, King James scored 16 points on seven of 11 shots and set up Chalmers and a shoeless Mike Miller for 3-point shots.  

 

In Game 7,  James scored 37 points and made the go-ahead basket in front of Kawhi Leonard, which put the game out of reach.

 

He missed 18 games in four years with the Heat, none coming in the Playoffs.

1.Dwyane Wade:

 

Wade is one of the greatest slashers the NBA ever saw.  In his Playoff debut, he broke down Baron Davis with his dribble up top and dashed into the lane for a game-winning floater.  By sophomore year, he was a star worthy of Second Team All-NBA, leading the Heat with O’Neal to Game 7 of the East Finals but losing to the Detroit Pistons.  He missed the previous match after warmups didn’t go smoothly, and the Heat lost by 25 points that night. 

 

Next season, Wade took over the Finals, overcoming a two-game deficit and winning the next four over the Mavericks.  In that series, he logged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.  He earned Finals MVP.

 

In the post-Shaq, pre-Big Three era, Wade distinguished himself as a certified top-three player, even finishing third behind James and Kobe Bryant for MVP in 2009, despite logging a higher point, assist and minute average.

 

That season, in March (9), Wade had 48 points in a double-overtime win at home, outplaying Chicago’s Ben Gordon and a young Rose.  At the end of the second overtime, Flash stole the ball from John Salmons attempting a behind-the-back dribble in front of Haslem. Then he raced to the opposite key and took off for a one-legged triple to call the game. 

 

In year two of the Big Three experiment, Wade willingly deferred touches to James to ensure the Heat had the highest chance of winning. He instantly became the most overqualified side piece in the NBA, but it helped earn back-to-back championships and push his ring count to three.

 

When James left, Wade put forth two strong seasons, getting to one Game 7 of the East semis with a battered unit versus the Toronto Raptors.  In round one of that Playoffs, Wade saved his team from a road elimination, dropping 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter in Charlotte in Game 6.

 

When he returned from tours in Chicago and Cleveland, he helped Miami get back to the Playoffs in 2018 after missing it in its first season without him.  In 2019, his farewell tour was the highlight of a frustrating year as the team didn’t have enough to carry him into the sunset.  He went out the only way he could, emptying the clip and recording a triple-double with his closest pals at Barclays Center in attendance.  

 

Wade holds the team record in points, assists, steals, starts, minutes, made free throws and converted field goals. He has a 12,097-point lead over #2 in scoring, Mourning, per Stathead.  

 

At the start of his Hall of Fame speech, Wade was interrupted by supporters chanting, “Let’s go Heat.”  There’s no finer way to sum up how Wade’s career went, with the honors he achieved and the hearts he touched.  

Tyler Herro’s time in Miami has mattered

The Heat capturing the White Whale, Damian Lillard, likely means the end for Tyler Herro in Miami. There is a path to trading for Sub Zero (Lillard) that doesn’t include #14, but pulling off such a swap should get Portland’s Joe Cronin sent to the gulag. 

 

In four seasons, Herro logged 8,830 minutes in a Miami Heat uniform in the Playoffs and regular season. Of players who have spent their first four years with the team, only three have scored more: Dwyane Wade, Glen Rice and Rony Seikaly.  In the Playoffs, Wade is the lone name ahead of Herro.  

 

From the supernatural run the Heat went on in the bubble to the moment he dove for a loose ball that broke two bones in his hand, Herro was always a good soldier.  He earned the league’s reserve crown in 2022 while averaging 20.7 points nightly.  The following campaign, as a starter, he still recorded 20 points per game, but on a higher 3-point attempt rate and True Shooting percentage. 

 

Without Herro, the Heat went on another improbable run to the Finals but fell three wins short of the championship.  This gave his critics/detractors ammo to go on record, stating the squad was better without him. They’re wrong.  

 

Assuredly, the group plays differently if he doesn’t go down, but he was balling in Game 1 in Milwaukee before the injury.  Secondly, Herro’s availability doesn’t stop Jimmy Butler from incinerating defenders and schemes.  Had he been healthy, Bam Adebayo would’ve had one of his most-trusted playmakers feeding him lobs through the middle too. Herro only converted 37.8% of his attempted triples in the regular season, but somehow he wouldn’t be useful. Riddle me that.  

 

Before Game 2 of the Finals, Denver’s coach Michael Malone was asked about Herro’s potential impact on the series. He said, “We know what kind of talent he is” and elaborated on all his skills.  

 

Unfortunately for Herro, he couldn’t get back in time to help his team. In the previous Playoff run, he hurt his groin and played poorly before that. Sometimes players are unlucky until they aren’t.

 

At 23, Herro is far from his peak as a shot creator and is underestimated as a distributor. In 2023, he assisted on 19.1% of his teammates’ baskets, putting him in the 93rd percentile for his position.

 

On the attack, he is a drop coverage killer and finishes well within 3-10 feet of the basket (48.3%). 

 

Defensively, Herro spent 61.1% of the season matched up with guards. He held them to 44.7% shooting from the field.  In 2022, his Defensive Field Goal Percentage was 40.8%. 

 

 As a sixth man, a lot of his time came against other reserves, but it was balanced by playing 9.8 minutes in fourth quarters, good enough for eighth in the league that season.  As a starter, he was used just as much in the last intervals.

 

As of today, Herro is sixth in made 3-pointers (601) and 17th in points logged (4,272)  for the Heat.  He turned into one of the top five draft picks in franchise history because of his dedication to the lab.

 

His 37-point eruption in Game 4 of the 2020 East Finals, which came as a rookie, should always be remembered fondly in Heat lore.  That night, he was the best player on the court that Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown stood on to push the Heat to a 3-1 lead over the Boston Celtics.   

 

In 2022/2023, Herro logged the second-most minutes of all Heatles while being fifth in games played.  If this is the end, his time in White Hot mattered.  Wherever he ends up, his new outfit is getting a future All-Star.

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Damian Lillard’s rep is not on the line

Damian Lillard’s reputation as one of the top leaders in the NBA should be unassailable. He’s also one of the three players in Trail Blazers history with the World’s Most Famous Deadhead and the Glide, and a deserving member of the league’s Top 75 (76 really) ballers list.  Yet these days, he’s besmirched by outside fans and media for wanting to play for the Eastern Conference champs while his commitment to Portland hasn’t ended. Naturally, most of the lot is siding with management over labor. 

 

Some whine, “He has four years on his contract, plus he said he wouldn’t run from the grind…” But teams try to get off bad deals when players aren’t living up to them.  When those moves are made, writers, broadcasters and fans applaud the machinations of the exec(s) who got it done.

 

And the lickspittles also cry that Portland shouldn’t send him to Miami, his chosen destination, because it can’t offer the most lucrative deal for him. They confuse Lillard with an imbecile and are wrong about Miami’s potential package.

 

Yet I care not for their observations because the Blazers drafted his successor instead of honoring the agreement with Dame to build a contender around him. Scoot Henderson will likely turn into a fine player, but he’s an understudy for the foreseeable future. Unless his impact is like Magic Johnson’s or that of Larry Legend as a novice, his addition doesn’t move the pendulum in the short term for conference supremacy. Had the team traded the pick before Draft night, everyone would have known they were for real about competing. 

 

Lillard did say he envisioned himself having a chance to win a championship in Portland before last season, but he’s changed his mind. His agent Aaron Goodwin is throwing his weight around by contacting suitors not named the Heat and telling them to buzz off; this makes Dame a “villain” because he is fixing the market for himself, which will probably work.

 

In a rose-covered world, Lillard stays in Portland and delivers its first title since Walton led the ‘77 outfit over the 76ers for the jewels.  But in the real one, he wants out because what he desires today is not what he craved in the past.  And likely because the Trail Blazers’ average 42 wins a year in the regular season since drafting Lillard, and he has appeared in 87% of those games.  

 

Maybe ring culture got to him, or like many people, he doesn’t want to spend all his years in the same sandbox. Perhaps both, but it doesn’t matter.  People at the peak of their professions should be skilled enough to decide where they want to work.  Lillard’s been at the top for a long time.  

 

I’d prefer he doesn’t waste away as a stud mentor to a group with a first-round ceiling. Last season was his 11th in the NBA, and Dame logged the highest scoring average of his career (32.2).  He turns 33 on July 15.

 

When the front office’s anxiety and desperation levels rise because no deal is percolating, props to Goodwin, aside from the one left simmering on the stove top with Miami, the figurative stare down with Lillard will end. Trying to hightail his wagon out of town with years still committed while leaving the only organization he’s played for in this fashion still isn’t enough to taint his fame.  

 

It’s important to remember the league is a business first, and labor will not hesitate to use that card against management.

Mateo’s Hoops Diary: Max and Gabe Deserve Their Flowers

Friday was graduation day for Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.  Both, in their time with the Miami Heat, turned from undesired prospects to must-have role players that helped the group make history.  With their services, the Heat reached its seventh NBA Finals, this time as the second eighth seed and the first Play-in group to do so.  

 

In the regular season, Strus was 11th all-time in team history in made 3-pointers (428) and fifth in the Playoffs (90).  Vincent finished 18th (288) and eighth (77) in the same category.  Without their artillery strikes, Miami’s famed shot at glory never occurs.

 

Strus suited up for the Heat 230 times in the regular season and Playoffs.  He’s a combustible weapon from deep who improved at dribbling on drives and cuts.  Through three rounds in the 2023 Playoffs, he converted 34.9%* of his attempted triples.  His finest moment in the Finals was Game 2, when he uncorked the Heat’s offense with 14 points in the first quarter.

 

Vincent contributed to 239 outings for the group. He was them since before the Orlando bubble, where he recorded 15 seconds total during the 2020 Postseason.  He eventually took Lowry’s job and finished his tenure with White Hot recording 12.7 points a night on 37.8% deep shooting in the 2023 Playoffs.

 

 In Game 2 of the Finals, he logged 23 points and gave Jamal Murray fits on switches to assist the Heat in its only win in the championship round.  

 

The club’s financial situation made it vulnerable to outsiders poaching the goods, and that’s what happened.  The Heat managed to at least exchange Strus in a sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, getting back a second-round pick and a $7.3 million trade exception. Yet, the consequences are dealing with him and the up-and-coming Cavaliers multiple times a year and potentially in the Playoffs. 

 

Nnamdi wanted to stay, reportedly, but the Los Angeles Lakers made him an offer he’d be silly to pass.  He’ll now be LeBron James’ bailout man like Mario Chalmers was ages ago.  

 

Friday wasn’t a total loss for the reigning East champs because it signed former Heater Josh Richardson for the low. He is only 29, and his career was budding with White Hot before getting dealt in the Jimmy Butler four-club swap in 2019.  Yet, since he left Miami, JRich has been passed around more than loose bills at a peep show.  

 

Richardson does some similar things as Strus and was well-liked in his four-year stint.  The production can be replicated, but he’s not as ignitable as Strus and likely won’t generate the same gravity behind the 3-point line.

 

 

In the worst-case scenario, the Heat can move Kyle Lowry back to lead, but there’s still a hole behind him or in the starting unit if his health doesn’t hold up.  On Draft night, Miami picked up five more undrafted prospects. Two are guards.

 

Developing undrafted diamonds is a skill the organization is recognized for league-wide.  But squeezing the juice out of these guys takes multiple seasons.  If Richardson is a dud and the new understudy, whoever he is, isn’t ready, Strus and Vincent’s departures will be a destructive blow to competing on Jimmy Butler’s timeline.

 

Unless the White Whale Damian Lillard, who asked for a trade Saturday, parachutes into Miami.  That is the great equalizer and shifts the Heat back to contention.  

 

According to The Athletic and TNT, the Nets and Heat are the leading suitors. Things move fast in the NBA, and a situation can change in a day if an opportunity isn’t seized.

 

 

 

Bam Adebayo and Butler aren’t turning into long-range sharpshooters, ever.  Tyler Herro enters next season as the most dependable outside threat, but he’s an off-guard.  The outfit needs a playmaker who keeps the ball swinging, buries catch-and-shoot triples and doesn’t turn the rock over.  Lillard can do all of that in his sleep with an arm tied behind his back, but in case he ends up elsewhere, that’s the floor the starting point guard has for next season.    

 

At exit interviews, Strus said it was special getting to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals as a starter.  “That doesn’t happen for a lot of people.  A lot of guys don’t even make the Playoffs in their career. I have a lot to be thankful for…”

 

He was honest, too, with his explanation that money would be a key factor in his decision.

 

Vincent said the group was what he was most proud of because of how it fought through adversity.  “I just wish we could have got it done for the rest of the guys.”

 

Strus and Vincent’s hard work carved them a permanent spot in Heat history.  At the end of their new deals, they’ll still have a long career expectancy in the NBA.  It may just be the end for now.  

 

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