Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Knicks

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat faced off against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Friday night, and fought through some adversity to exit with the win.

Tyler Herro offensive domination, Bam Adebayo defensive control, and trying to balance the RJ Barrett showcase.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Tyler Herro is back? Oh yeah, Tyler Herro is definitely back.

It feels like we haven’t seen Tyler Herro play in quite some time as he was healing from that knee bruise before the All Star Break. But he returned tonight, and man did he provide something offensively as he entered early into Miami’s awful offensive start. I’m going to talk about the team’s pick and roll attack in a second, but Herro was making plays in the lane in a way that was needed majorly. High pick and roll, pauses as he awaits his screened defender to recover, and loops in front of him to hold him off. He then bursts forward into his floater with absolutely no-one in sight to contest. That summed up his hot start early with 15 first half points, but he was also 3 of 4 from deep, taking advantage of what came his way off the catch, while mixing in his pull-up comfort zone against drop coverage.

#2: The need for the screen, and the PnR effective spam from Miami.

Speaking of Herro’s control inside the lane, that was the Heat’s game-plan early as nothing was being generated from the deep mid-range or three-point line. The Knicks did a good job of blocking off the paint, as the Heat continued to plummet inside into contact, while consequently not receiving a friendly whistle. But one change in the set shifts the entire outcome: the need for the screen. Eliminating that initial defender and running 2-on-1’s against drop bigs is always the outlet that should be looked at first. Kyle Lowry began to get to it, which led to Bam Adebayo and Omer Yurtseven finding themselves on the positive end as rollers. We’ve seen nights where three-point shooting keeps them in a game, but pure pick and roll spam is what got them back into this one in that first half.

#3: Miami’s view of their defensive structure tonight.

When reflecting at halftime about Miami’s defensive game-plan, it was slightly different from what we’re used to against this team. For one, it should be said that this Knicks offense falls right into the Heat’s biggest defensive strengths. Swarming guys like Julius Randle in that high post is what they basically live for, leaving him with a 1 for 9 first half. But the issue was that in the meantime, RJ Barrett was gliding into a 30 point half himself. And well, it almost felt like Miami was okay with that. Essentially the opposite of their game-plan against Dallas. My issue with them on that end tonight wasn’t the way they were defending Barrett, but the reason he got hot. Poor transition defense kept feeding New York good looks on the break on kick-outs, sparking that run. That’ll need to be cleaned up.

#4: Jimmy Butler’s inside play the third quarter go-to as Barrett and the Knicks chip away.

It was an up and down matter for Jimmy Butler’s scoring throughout this one, and the reason I say that is he was a bit inefficient to start. But once the third quarter arrived and Miami’s starting group still wasn’t generating enough offense, Butler began to turn it up. It felt like the isolation possessions were seen a little too frequently, but they began finding outlets to free him up, and attack certain match-ups right back. One major element that was found was using Butler as the product of screening back-door, as guys like Adebayo scan from the top of the offense. Then he continued taking it into the body of the scorching Barrett, getting him his fourth foul late in the third quarter. Butler ended up scoring 8 straight for Miami in that span, just through his physical attack, which once again aligns with their offensive game-plan I discussed prior.

Loading
Loading...

#5: Pure Bam Adebayo dominance on the defensive end.

Julius Randle gets into the deep mid-range late in the shot clock mid-way through the second quarter. Only Bam Adebayo stands in his way, as he throws him up a pump-fake to get him up in the air. The issue: once you picked up your dribble with Adebayo defending, it doesn’t matter what comes next. Bam lands, turns, and still finds a way to absolutely blanket the Randle shot attempt. That’s why he’s the best defender in this league. While some may question his urge to create shots for himself in those one, it was pure defensive dominance all the way through. Aside from the one-on-one match-up with Randle, he was everywhere in the passing lanes, recovered on pick and rolls at such a high level for big time blocks, and most importantly, shined as the weak-side threat all night to both deter and send shots back. Offense is obviously the primary side of the ball in this sport for most, but man will you value the defensive end much more when watching these masterclasses.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Solving the Miami Heat’s Clutch Time Mystery

/0 Comments/in , /by

As the Heat sit in the 1 seed at the All-Star break, many things are apparent about this group. They have great depth. They have a top tier defense all the way around. They have plenty of offensive options.

But the one thing that has shown a need for tweaking is their clutch time offense.

And if you want to know how the Heat should probably treat late-game situations, let’s take a look at this All-Star weekend for example.

As noted previously, they’re the first seed in the East, yet the only player representing them was Jimmy Butler. Part of that was due to many guys being in and out of the lineup, but it’s also a product that they don’t have a strong two than a major fall-off like other teams.

They have four guys who could potentially be in that All-Star game, and they have four guys who could potentially take that final shot late in a game. It’s just all about situation and opportunity.

With that said, I went through all of the Heat’s late-game offensive possessions this season, and some things stuck out. And of course, we must start off with Butler, in an obvious manner that many would want to harp on…

Most nights, the ball is in the hands of Butler as the clock trickles down and the Heat need a bucket. I’m going to highlight next how or when it’s most effective, but it’s been clear that the constant settling for three-point pull-ups, deep fade-aways, or step-back jumpers is the least efficient offense late in games.

For one, if you look at the clips above, there are many parallels across the board. Not only does Butler not look fluid on these specific attempts, but neither do those around him.

When he’s going through the motions of dribbling as the clock hits below five, the other four guys on the court are always standing still, which is the definition of stagnant offense.

Especially when we’re discussing a total movement offense who doesn’t revolve it around one guy or one go-to, isolations should never be the call, unless it’s a clear mismatch or you’re allowing Bam Adebayo to try and drive past his much slower defender.

But when addressing Butler in these positions, it doesn’t mean that final shot has to permanently be passed onto the next guy. It just means don’t shift out of your comfort zone…

And when talking about Butler’s comfort zone, it’s getting to the basket with the possibility of two outcomes: an attempted lay-up or a trip to the line.

We’ve seen that many times this season, as seen in the clips above, and man is that the way to go.

Looking at the first two clips initially against Sacramento, we see him tie the game off a solid drive, then miss the game tying lay-in shortly after, but that’s the shot you live with.

When addressing these plays under a microscope, did you notice any differences between the two? In the first one, we see Omer Yurtseven set a down screen for Butler to go 1-on-1 at the rim with a big, which is essentially what you want in that spot. In the other position, there’s no screen, which ultimately means they can freely send a double at him on the attack.

Big difference.

Then of course the final clip, he ices the game against the Atlanta Hawks with a strong drive and tough finish.

But why is a late-game Butler drive so important? Is it just solely because he has a better chance of knocking it down off a strong attack than a 3 point heave?

Absolutely not.

It’s actually about what follows these late-game drives, especially when that true downhill gravity begins to set in.

Up 3, 9 seconds on the shot clock. Butler refuses the screen, leaving his defender in the dust. Both wing/corner defenders from each side drop down, and it’s a wide open corner triple for PJ Tucker to eventually win them the game.

I feel like I’ve seen that Tucker corner three under a minute to go at least 10 times so far this season, but aside from that, it’s what ties my first two points together. The threes from Butler may be focused on him lacking that consistency at this point in his career, but it’s more about those around him that he impacts.

If they throw length on him where he can’t get to his downhill spots, defer to the next guy. When it’s a winnable match-up, get to the rim. When you can play for the double, hit the open corner shooter.

It sounds simple, but it’s just about eliminating the forceful possessions we’ve seen many times this year that end in a Butler deep heave.

Now, I mentioned earlier that guys have been in and out of the lineup constantly this season, and well, that was a signal to Kyle Lowry early on to enter takeover mode. It wasn’t that he was completely changing games in a scoring fashion, which he did against the Clippers in the 4th and the Hornets recently in OT, but he puts his guys in the right spots late.

Or more importantly, he hits his guys at the right time.

Most of Miami’s late possessions are those slowed down, half-court set-ups in playoff fashion, but Lowry has shown that he won’t roll that way if it’s up to him.

The first clip above is of course sped up because they’re trailing by two possessions with 30 seconds left, but that’s still always going to be his method. He isn’t worried about the clock ever. He wants to make a defense run back with the possibility of them being out of wack, while also setting up early in the clock.

He hits Adebayo against the Lakers, which ends in an and-1.

In the second clip against the Washington Wizards, the Heat are down 3, so he could slow it down to get a good shot, but yet again, that just isn’t Lowry’s style.

He races up the floor, and tracks down Adebayo once again in the middle of the floor as he draws the foul.

This stuff may not seem important, but it absolutely is. The changing of speed that can be utilized between Lowry and Butler is big time, but the issue up to this point is that it feels as if they’ve been taking turns in that way late in games.

If Butler’s slowing it down, Lowry goes possession after possession without being in the primary action. If Lowry speeds it up, he goes on a scoring and passing rampage with Butler playing off the ball, as his defender sags off of him.

If they can find a way to blend the two styles together on the same nights, that’s when they will become elite together when closing games.

Another element of Lowry having the ball in his hands late should depend heavily on specific match-ups. Not if Lowry is being defended by an elite defender, but if there’s an exploitable drop big on the floor that he can attack.

Since well, that’s exactly what he did against this Clippers team, or even the Nets about a week ago.

It’s usually a signal to spam Lowry-Adebayo pick and rolls in this position, but as seen in the first clip, the Clippers switched Zubac off of Adebayo and onto Tucker.

Lowry then has Tucker come set the screen, as he manipulates him from way out. He lets it fly from deep as Zubac closes out, and gets the and-1 three in the process.

Now, in the second clip, Zubac is back on Adebayo. They go with a very high pick and roll here, and that’s the best way to go. It leads to Lowry going 1-on-1 with Zubac on his heels, ending in another and-1 at the rim.

This stuff isn’t just coincidental in a one game sample size. It’s the reads that are made on a gamely basis. There are many reasons why Lowry should get them into their sets late, but when seeing that big to pick on, it should be a pick and roll immediate spam for Lowry to go to work.

He’s currently 15 of 27 this season in clutch time, and neither of those numbers are surprising. He takes what is given to him, so the attempts aren’t as high as Butler. Yet, he takes advantage when the opportunity comes up with a big to attack, leading to 56% shooting in those spots.

 

When I say Lowry can ‘get them into their sets late,’ this is what I mean.

Looking at this game early in the season against Philly, the guys closing next to Lowry are Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent, PJ Tucker, and Dewayne Dedmon.

Only one of those four will be on the floor late once the post-season arrives, yet he doesn’t get away from their base. It’s a Spain pick and roll, as Dedmon screens for Lowry and Vincent sets a down screen on Joel Embiid. He gets to the rim and takes a trip to the line.

Once again, many of this is situational. But it’s clear if you want things organized, find Lowry to put it together.

The other aspect of this is Tyler Herro. When walking away from many of these games recently with Herro out, it strikes me that he will be the one taking many of these shots.

So far this season, he’s 13 of 36 in crunch time. Yet still, I believe he’s their outlet when they need to make a play.

Looking at the clips above, these are two late-game plays from Herro this season which went in different directions. A wild right leaning triple when down 1 against the Pistons sums up Herro’s offense in these positions pretty well, and it feels like they need that type of guy many nights as the shot clock ticks down.

In the second clip, we see Herro miss a good looking floater on a very odd night in Miami against Toronto. The reason I show that isn’t because of the miss, but instead the trust that Erik Spoelstra puts in him to hit big shots. With Butler and Adebayo on the floor, he draws the play up for Herro to end the night early.

Loading
Loading...

There’s also another guy that I haven’t had a chance to discuss in this one, and he’s a pretty important piece I’d say: Bam Adebayo.

He’s currently 5 of 13 in clutch situations, and if you want some perspective, Duncan Robinson is 4 of 11 and Gabe Vincent is 5 of 10 in big moments so far this year.

With that said, we’ve seen Adebayo be exponentially more aggressive ever since we flipped into the month of February, which makes me think we could see more stuff run for him late, as he continues to have these 17,18,19 attempt nights.

He’s the piece that could change this entire topic all together. Not that he will be their undeniable closer every night, but as much as I discussed Lowry waiting to attack a mismatch in drop, Bam Adebayo seems to have a mismatch every single game.

No opposing 5 can defend him on a face-up, but it just comes down to him being comfortable enough to make that read and go for the blow-by in big moments.

If that begins to develop, then this team “weakness” becomes less and less of a worrisome topic.

Finally, we have to finish off this discussion of closing games out with Erik Spoelstra’s ATO genius ways.

Something that must be mentioned: there seems to be a major difference in the Heat’s comfort down 1 compared to up 2. When this group is leading coming out of a timeout, they always seem to be in a great spot.

For one, notice how I’ve labeled everything “late-game offense.” The reason is that this Heat defense has been absolutely elite down the stretch of games, and it’s allowed their poorly executed offense to still have chance after chance after chance.

They have the 5th best clutch time defense at the break, posting a 99 defensive rating.

And if they land themselves back on the offensive end with a 1 possession lead, Coach Spo can cook something up to seal it. We’ve seen his two big time ATO plays this season, as he ran the same exact play against Chicago and Charlotte.

Two guys all the way down the floor, one guy flares up to half-court, and the inbound goes to that close wing/corner. Either the guy guarding the inbound falls for the flare, or he doubles on the catch once inbounded. Both end in easy lay-ups to close the game.

As we look across this Heat roster, they could have more answers on the way if everything goes right. If Victor Oladipo comes back completely healthy, he’ll be quite the piece to work into that closing lineup when needing a stop with the 5 man defensive lineup.

But the truth is that there will probably be a revolving door in that 5th spot depending on what they need, and it feels like Herro will get the majority of those reps due to his high level shot making ability. But once they start to pick on him defensively, they’ll have that short stint alternative.

It’ll be interesting to see how they handle lineups, but offensive set-ups are the more important part right now. And as I portrayed in this piece, there isn’t just one single option when things start moving quickly down the strtech.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Film Dive into the Heat Finding a Way Against Charlotte

/0 Comments/in , /by

I took a dive into the film of the Miami Heat’s win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, mainly focusing on the 4th quarter, overtime, and double overtime.

Between a Duncan Robinson boost, Kyle Lowry takeover mode, suffocating Heat defense, and unique play designing from Erik Spoelstra, it’s clear this was a pretty interesting one.

So, let’s take a look…

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hornets

/1 Comment/in , /by

The Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Hornets tonight.

Yeah, didn’t think I’d be saying that.

Before I discuss the Heat’s poor, poor offensive night, the craziness must be mentioned first.

Kyle Lowry comes up big late in the game, but Erik Spoelstra closes it out with his infamous inbound play to seal it.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Miami’s immediate stagnant offensive switch in second quarter.

The Heat came out firing early on offensively, leading to a 37 point first quarter. But they decided to follow that up with a 10 point second quarter, in which I walked away questioning how they even reached 10. The reasoning: their offensive disposition just went right out the window, as they weren’t able to trigger any of their base actions smoothly. Part of this can be attributed to the fact they’re staggering bench lineups that are missing 3 of their primary bench pieces, with one of them being Tyler Herro’s scoring punch, but falling off a cliff to this degree for an extended amount of time just can’t happen. Jimmy Butler definitely wasn’t too engaged in that stretch to will them out of it, as his passiveness stuck out, which quickly blends into forced shots with the supporting cast.

#2: A Gabe Vincent-Omer Yurtseven combo?

I’d just like to take a second to dip out of game evaluations, and dive into player evaluations. I’ve discussed many different two-man combos that work effortlessly, such as Butler-Lowry inverted PnR’s or Robinson-Adebayo DHO and slip, but another one has jumped off the screen: Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven. As Miami struggled against Dallas on Tuesday night, their only positive offensive stretches came from Vincent-Yurt pick and rolls with plenty of lob passes that followed. But there’s other reasons this works that I may not have enough time to fully address. Vincent has a skill to retract big defenders out of the play then create space, which falls into Yurtseven’s wheelhouse. Easy post hooks can come out of it with no help, which is why this goes further than just a pick and roll. It may be minor, but it’s an interesting thing to keep track of.

#3: Will 3 point shooting return after the break?

If you’re watching the Heat’s broadcast, you’d often hear about sharpshooter Duncan Robinson being replaced by fellow sharpshooter Max Strus when one exits. But lately, it’s not really a barrage of outside shooting in every lineup, or any lineup at that. Once again, yes Herro takes a lot of pressure off some of that, but this goes beyond that. This is a team who’s two best players aren’t outside shooters, so that pull must be happening for them to succeed. And with the forceful purpose to pry Robinson open and Strus continuing to struggle, it just heavily ties into the stagnant offense over the last two nights. Heat shot 7% in the second half against Dallas, yet late-game offense is the focus. But if that percentage bumps up just a bit, you aren’t even in late-game offense. We focus on a lot with this team as we evaluate things with a microscope, but that one part of this team has been an obvious eye sore as of late.

#4: A tough night for Jimmy Butler.

The last few weeks have been a lot of Jimmy Butler takeaways after games in a positive fashion, but tonight was as tough as it gets for him. As I spoke about earlier with this Heat offense, things just weren’t flowing in their normal fashion. But when that usually occurs this season, Butler is their offensive outlet. He can attack mismatches, get to the line, and do his usual Butler-like things. But there were absolutely no mismatches to attack even though he tried, the whistle wasn’t as friendly as it normally can be, and that spiraled into complete nonsense to say the least. It’s one thing to miss shots if your Butler, but it’s a completely other thing to force passes and attack mismatches that aren’t really there for 3 straight quarters. Simply, Butler looked like he was already on his flight to Cleveland. But then, OT happened. Then double OT. Then Butler happened. After a historically poor shooting night, he hit two big ones late as he told the bench ‘I told you I’d make one.’

Loading
Loading...

#5: The All-Star break is here.

It’s now officially the All-Star break for the Miami Heat. Aside from anymore offensive game-plan bashing from this match-up or Kyle Lowry takeover mode late, it’s clear that the Heat need this time as much as anybody. For one, it allows their primary bench mob to get back healthy, as Caleb Martin rests that achilles, Dewayne Dedmon gets some much needed rest, and Tyler Herro gets that knee back in perfect shape. Plus, the top guys on this team deserve it as well, but nobody seems to need it more than PJ Tucker. He was their only offensive punch in this one, but other than that, he’s just been available all season long. Take the next week off, then come back with a new mindset as they enter a home heavy part of their schedule.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Mavs

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat fell short to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, after a good start from a handful of guys.

Jimmy Butler battled late on the offensive end, but he didn’t have that sidekick to keep up the pace alongside him. Late-game offensive issues came up again with Butler isolations, and it ended in a Mavs win.

So, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Miami’s defensive formula against a Luka Doncic led Dallas Mavericks team.

When looking at this Dallas Mavericks team on paper, they’re offensive structure falls right into the Miami Heat’s wheelhouse in terms of ways to defend him. They’re better suited this year for team’s with one superior player who they can try and eliminate from offensive impact totally. Simply, the goal is to make the others around him beat them. And well, we found out soon that those others would end up taking advantage for Dallas in the second half. We can talk about them unsurprisingly sticking PJ Tucker on him to start, while Bam Adebayo swiftly switched onto him with every screen, but the mid-post and half-court stuff was more intriguing. When he got a singular Heat defender on his back, here’s Jimmy Butler edging all the way over for the double. Once again, that’s Butler’s home base, and one of his biggest skills on the basketball court. When he can be that free safety, this Heat defense is at their best. But as the game went on, Doncic found a rhythm. He had a big third quarter as he adjusted to what the Heat were throwing at him, and that’s when he’s scariest.

#2: Omer Yurtseven plugs in, Omer Yurtseven stepping up big early.

Dewayne Dedmon was a late scratch tonight due to back spams, and there was another guy lurking to step right up into that role: Omer Yurtseven. Like he always does, he immediately began to fill up that stat sheet, but how does he do it? For one, the phrase ball magnet goes hand in hand with Yurtseven’s play. Yes, he’s a big guy who take up space around the rim, but the ability to find it and track it down around the rim is certainly a skill. Aside from that, he was putting up some scoring numbers as well, due to relief baskets around the rim. The Mavericks were constantly so worried about the kick-out after the drive to the weak-side wing, that they would predict the weak-side perimeter rotation. That left their defense with no tagger in sight, ending with some easy looks for Yurtseven, or even single coverage for his post hook. He performs at a high level when he gets opportunities, and it’s pretty promising.

#3: Oh hey, it’s assertive Bam Adebayo again.

Bam Adebayo went on another one of those aggressive runs in the second quarter tonight, and it feels like we’re getting closer and closer to this just becoming a regular thing. He’s facing up and just going on those strong side looks, which has a lot to do with Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler running away to eliminate that safety blanket retracting pass. There was a possession late in the second quarter where Adebayo dribbled up the floor, which flowed into a Bam-Butler inverted PnR. With an empty corner on his right, he refused the screen and took a strong drive back left with only the slower Dwight Powell standing in his way. He blew by him, got to the basket with ease, and laid it in. This version of Adebayo is scary, but when they can run stuff like that consistently, it elevates even further.

#4: Haywood Highsmith is signed, and immediately in the rotation.

The Miami Heat signed Haywood Highsmith to a 10 day contract earlier today, which could be a two-way contract pretty soon, but he found himself in the rotation pretty soon. With Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro out, there really weren’t many options among the reserves against Dallas, so he got an immediate trial run. When he was initially picked up by Miami early in the season, I said he was a pure Heat guy. Can switch and provide good defensive versatility, can hit the relief corner three, and knows where to be within Miami’s base offensive sets. But when his time ran out with Miami, I mentioned that he would be back. And here he is. Why did I think that? Well, due to all of the things I just named, he fills immediate holes with his versatility to plug right into different spots. We’ve talked about PJ Tucker insurance, but maybe they just needed somebody to eat up some minutes in this fashion.

Loading
Loading...

#5: Heat’s offensive alternative getting them in trouble in second half.

The Heat were shooting 6 of 13 from downtown in the first half, then proceeded to go 1 of 12 from three over the next quarter and a half. That usually translates to how the offense is performing, but it appeared to be more than that in the second half. For one, combined with missing outside shots, they didn’t have other options at the rim as they did early on. Jimmy Butler grinded out some buckets throughout their rough third quarter stretch, just buying time for somebody to pop. That blended into the fourth, as Butler continued to get into “Butler mode,” purely taking over inside the lane to keep Miami in it. But the element that stood out was something I’ve addressed before: when Bam Adebayo goes out, don’t treat the back-up big like Bam Adebayo in times of need. Offense was stagnant, and somehow they found themselves working everything through Omer Yurtseven in the middle of the floor. He can provide a sparky punch, but the longer he’s out there, the more that can be exploited.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Kyle Lowry has a Gift: Elevating Others

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s one thing to elevate a young group of guys that need that a clear leader above them, as he did for guys like Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, etc.

But it’s another thing to elevate a proven player in this league who is a 6 time all star, in Jimmy Butler, and a young buck on the trajectory of an elite player in this league, in Bam Adebayo.

As the Heat were batting for a good chunk of time without Kyle Lowry, since he was away from the team, they were trying everything in their power to gather some type of a rhythm. A 3 game losing streak occurred right before he made his official return in San Antonio on February 3rd, and that’s when it hit people: this 35 year old point guard is pretty important.

Since his return, the Heat have won 5 games in a row, and let me preface that by saying it’s not a coincidence. He changes the offensive structure, and more importantly, he opens up the team’s two best players in a surprising fashion.

The trio of Lowry-Butler-Adebayo has played 19 games together so far this season, which they’re 14-5 in those games. When sharing the floor, they’re posting a 106 offensive rating and a 95 defensive rating.

I’d say that’s pretty impressive.

But when looking at the impact of Lowry, stats just simply don’t correlate to what he brings. It’s the spots he gets these guys into. It’s the pace that he provides as soon as the jump-ball goes up. It’s the fact that Miami’s first action usually begins with 21 seconds on the shot clock.

Looking at the clips above, that wild entry pass has become the two man combo with Lowry and one of Butler or Adebayo. He threw a unnecessary one late in the Heat-Nets game that could’ve been costly, but you’ll take that one risky, bad pass when all of this good comes with it as well.

The half-court post insertion pass to Adebayo is not only a signal to their centerpiece big man that he needs to go up and try to score, but it also eliminates weak-side defenders. Post-ups may not be Adebayo’s favorite, but a little game of one-on-one with the size advantage never hurt anybody.

We’re also seeing Adebayo begins to grow up in Lowry’s world, also known as transition offense, since he’s beginning to play a bit of bully ball when running at full speed, while also filling up the right spots on the floor on the break which wasn’t the case early on.

Butler, on the other hand, just changes sports when the ball comes off the rim and into the possession of Lowry. He streaks down the floor, Lowry throws it up, and Butler comes down with the Moss more times than not.

But with Butler, it isn’t about changing speeds like it is for Bam. It’s actually about the half-court insert more than the full-court one.

Over the past week and a half, we’ve seen a shift in the looks Butler is getting. And looking at the final clip above, that pretty much sums it up. Lowry-Butler PnR’s, or inverted PnR’s, are spammed to draw the mismatch. Lowry then retreats back, feeds Butler, and he takes the smaller defender to the clinic.

The two outcomes are either a good look at the rim for a layup, or a trip to the free throw line, which is exactly what Lowry is here to do.

He simplifies what used to be potentially 5 outcomes, down to only 2.

 

 

Number one on his list of elevating those around him is definitely setting their primary players up, but a close second is taking the burden off of them when he decides to turn it up. And that dial will be turned even further come playoff time.

Late in the fourth against the Brooklyn Nets, the Heat had no answer for Kyrie Irving on the offensive end. A player like Lowry, or any player at that, can’t match that type of offensive punch at that time, but he can do just enough to keep his group above water.

And that’s what he did mid-way through the 4th. He found the exploitable parts of this Nets defense, which began with the deep drop he was seeing. High pick and roll with Adebayo, Max Strus clears out to the weak-side next to Duncan Robinson to eliminate two help defenders, and now it’s Lowry time.

Only two defenders he has to worry about, and one of them he knows will have a tough time recovering. He takes it right into the dropping big, and flips it up like only Kyle Lowry would.

A few possessions later, we see an empty corner PnR with Adebayo once again, and now it’s just keying in on dead spots. Gets to the wide open free throw line pull-up to continually stretch out Miami’s lead.

He couldn’t match Kyrie Irving, but he could make it tougher on him with his smart basketball reads, and that’s the exact thing that Lowry provides.

We constantly talk about this Heat team as a defensive powerhouse. We begin by bringing up names like Adebayo, Butler, and PJ Tucker. Then we may blend into the young, gritty defenders like Vincent or Martin. But we sometimes pass over Lowry on that topic due to some believing he’s passed up that specific skill with age.

But when there’s 11 seconds left on the clock with the team needing just one stop, Lowry would be in my first sentence when discussing this Heat team. Looking at the play above, that is always Kyle Lowry at this point in the game.

He’s physical enough with Irving to not let the entry pass be easy, then makes a Butler like gamble to get the steal and go in the other direction.

Loading
Loading...

Stats aside. Film aside. Narratives aside. Kyle Lowry just makes those around him better.

Watching Bam Adebayo surge lately doesn’t just coincidentally align with the return of Lowry. Watching Jimmy Butler hysterically laughing on the court and bench since the game in San Antonio doesn’t just coincidentally align with the return of Lowry.

He changes things. In a good way.

He led a young group of inexperienced players to a winning record when Butler and Adebayo were out, alongside Tyler Herro, which just summed up the wide range of a role he can play at this stage of his career.

Lowry is a skilled passer. We know he can score the basketball. He has a history of defending at a high level. He’s a champion. But when asking the question: ‘what is his biggest skill?’

My answer would be elevating those around him.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Nets

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat had a good looking lead against the Brooklyn Nets early in the 4th, but Kyrie Irving began to happen. Miami would try and mix things up, but he would beat every double that came his way.

Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo had some big shots throughout to keep some padding, but it’s something to keep an eye on. As PJ Tucker noted previously, leads aren’t a comfortable nature on this team.

A big time Jimmy Butler drive with 20 seconds left put Miami up 3, which should always be his late-game outlet. An eventual Lowry steal iced it as they tried to get it to Irving.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from this one, heavily focused on the early game positive elements…

(Twitter thread incoming on the 4th quarter stuff later)

#1: Gabe Vincent: Two-Way deal to two-way dominant force.

When you hear the word “versatility,” your mind immediately flows in the direction of someone like Bam Adebayo, who can guard positions 1 to 5, be placed in different roles, and still be an evolving young player. But when watching Gabe Vincent, versatility is a key word. For one, you see him make unexpected plays on the defensive end, like Iguodala-esque steals and a highlight block at the rim. But more importantly, he’s constantly shifted within the offense. He’s running sets and dissecting the mid-range immediately. Then they go small with Lowry-Vincent-Herro-Strus-Adebayo, which relies more on his off-ball spacing and ball movement stringer. He kept Miami’s offense afloat in that first half, and it wasn’t just because of that 11 point mark in the scorers column.

#2: Tyler Herro looking fresh early on.

Staying the course of Miami’s first half offensive avenue, Tyler Herro was the other piece next to Vincent to keep things above water early on. But aside from that, he just looked fresh. After getting two games off, he came back in full dissector mode, but one play in that first half showed major growth. When facing drop, which he has major success against, the defender looped over the top of the screen and cut him off as he flowed into a potential mid-range pull-up. Instead of retreating back out per usual, he turned the corner, kept his dribble alive baseline, and found himself wide open around the rim for a lay-in. The phrase “turning the corner” is the interesting part, and it’s something we didn’t attach much to him in the past. But I’ve found myself noticing it a ton this season. He ended up not closing which was a bit surprising, but I’m not sure the specifics yet on why.

#3: My minor offensive evaluation: Bam Adebayo growing in “Kyle Lowry world.”

Watching Bam Adebayo get the ball on the break, run in the open court, then finish in traffic for a transition lay-in provides some flashbacks to what we’ve seen throughout this week. But seeing it on repeat over this recent stretch leads to further evaluations. Kyle Lowry basically forces surrounding pieces into playing at an extremely fast pace, but there’s an adjustment period with that, especially with Adebayo early in the season. Yet recently, I’ve seen Bam filling up transition gaps in a much more comfortable way. It may be Lowry’s world, but Bam seems to really fit the mold of his community.

#4: PJ Tucker. That’s it. That’s my takeaway.

Miami’s off-ball movement begins, the ball starts to swing, and finds the hands of PJ Tucker as he rises up from the dunker spot to post position. He gives a quick little post move, then turns into a nice looking post hook. Yeah, abnormal. The following possession, two defenders end up doubling Kyle Lowry in the corner, which he then flips it to Tucker on the baseline slip. He gets into post position again, kicks it out, but the ball gets tipped. What do you usually do next? Well, a normal person would see the Nets defense scoop it up and get into transition. But when you are PJ Tucker, you dive on the floor and tap it out in perfect fashion for a Duncan Robinson corner three. Plays like that just sum up Tucker, as he crawled back to the defensive end with Adebayo simultaneously picking him up.

Loading
Loading...

#5: The solidity of a back-up big.

Looking at the teams that sit atop their respective conferences as the 1 seed–in the Heat and the Suns– we can pick out many similarities between the teams. But one that grazes under the radar, yet shouldn’t, is the solidity of the back-up big spot. JaVale McGee is another story with the way he can plug into the starting lineup or provide spark minutes, but Dewayne Dedmon just shows that he can be Bam Adebayo’s playoff minute eater. Bam playing 40, while Dedmon keeps them afloat across the other 8. Looking at tonight, it clearly wasn’t his most efficiently impactful night. He had some moments where he’d snag a needed rebound, or even hit a three early on, but perimeter teams who go small can play him off the floor and put him in an odd spot. When watching runs like the one seen from Brooklyn tonight, it shows the importance of his impact. Or better yet, the potential of Miami going small in a shrunken rotation against certain teams in the post-season.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Pelicans

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat faced the New Orleans Pelicans on the night of the deadline, after a rather quiet afternoon, but still got the win.

A Kyle Lowry triple-double, Jimmy Butler dictating, and Bam Adebayo aggressiveness.

The Heat’s 3 best players were their 3 best players.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: Another high awareness offensive start from Bam Adebayo.

Bam Adebayo entered this game in New Orleans with some pretty aggressive offensive showings right behind him. He’s found ways to exploit these switchy teams, put his back to the basket when needed, and find some clear lanes to attack. But in this match-up, it was clearly a bigger body than we’ve seen recently, in Jonas Valanciunas. But right from the jump, we saw a similar mindset. It’s one thing to be aggressive, but it’s another thing to be decisive. Tonight, we saw both. Instead of taking advantage of a one-on-one match-up, he found the dead spots on the floor and rose up. That exact area was the middle of the floor inside the free throw line, where he flowed into that jumper early. He dominated around the rim yet again, even with the surrounding size, and that’s when you know we’re noticing change. He’s evolving.

#2: Jimmy Butler hunting again, as Miami tries to find a rhythm.

As we saw in a recent game against Charlotte, there’s one difference in this Heat team compared to recent ones. Even though there’s a similar focus on three-point shooting, it isn’t the only deciding factor in winning and losing a game. In past years, if they weren’t shooting well, they would keep going to it since it was their only choice. This season, that is usually a signal for Jimmy Butler time. He always finds a way to keep them afloat during that time, and that begins with mismatch hunting and camping out at the charity stripe. For one, Kyle Lowry being slotted next to him allows for much quicker insert passes, but it’s still all Butler in terms of seeking out opportunities to get to the line. And that’s how they survive.

#3: Omer Yurtseven next to Bam Adebayo again?

When looking at this Heat roster tonight, without Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin, I was intrigued with how the rotation might shake up. But it should’ve been obvious against a bigger Pelicans’ team that they would go big. We saw Dewayne Dedmon next to Bam for stretches, but Omer Yurtseven entering was the part to mention. It makes sense to go big in that manner when losing depth options, but we saw it in a positive light once again. The reasoning: it’s for short stints. Anyway, we saw the high-low actions being spammed, and man did they look good. Adebayo would get position down low on a 4, no help was in sight, and he went up in the post for a decent look. We’ve seen this as Bam as the ‘high’ one and PJ Tucker as the ‘low’ guy, but Tucker isn’t a post threat. That’s the small difference in the offensive sets, and it’s good to see that diversity depending on the personnel.

#4: Heat dodging a bullet in New Orleans, and it’s not about the game.

As the Heat play the Pelicans on the night of the trade deadline, it blends right into the conversation many have been having about this team the past 24 hours. If a move was going to be made, they needed someone at the back-up 4 to eat up some minutes for PJ Tucker. And well, that’s what the buyout market will be for. Anyway, as Tucker drives baseline for a bounce pass into Bam in the middle of the floor, the play quickly escalated to more than an offensive set. Tucker went down on the floor grabbing his knee, leaving many Heat observers in freak-out mode. (If that doesn’t showcase the importance of Tucker, I don’t know what does.) Anyway, it ended up being named a left knee contusion, and there was Tucker standing on the court as the third quarter started. I personally wouldn’t have played him after he went down, but it’s hard to hold back Tucker when in that competitive state.

Loading
Loading...

#5: The impact of Kyle Lowry.

Forget the stats tonight, which were as Kyle Lowry as Kyle Lowry stats get. (Triple-double btw.) But when watching impact, there’s no one better. For starters, it is just simply night and day in the ways the offensive sets are run with this Heat team. Their first action begins so much sooner in the shot clock due to his initial full court entry pass, but the half court stuff is much more noticeable. The main element ties back to Bam Adebayo. It isn’t a coincidence that Adebayo’s aggression and comfort aligns perfectly with the return of Lowry to the lineup. Looking at his assist numbers, he just sets Adebayo up quite perfectly, and not just out of the PnR. He finds him. He aborts the play. And forces him to go to work. The best play for Adebayo.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Wizards

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat took down the Washington Wizards on Monday night, and they were without Tyler Herro due to some knee soreness.

There were some up and downs early, but Jimmy Butler controlled, and the young bench group stepped up big to expand that lead.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from this one…

#1: The first half up and downs.

The Heat came out swinging to start this game, finding the appropriate exploitable match-ups on the floor, beginning with the coveted Duncan Robinson DHO. The reasoning was due to them facing drop coverage once again, which always leaves Robinson with a potential explosion. I’ll discuss the other offensive reasons they got out in front next, but a quick fall-out occurred in the second quarter, leaving Erik Spoelstra running on the court to call a timeout early on like he knew what was coming. The first thing was just not taking care of the ball, and bad looking turnovers had the Wizards getting easy buckets on the other end. But a very odd element was to see Miami’s defense start so strong, then go downhill. They were doubling hard and hitting passing lanes in that first quarter, but the second quarter story was major defensive miscommunications. Not talking on screens, allowing them to dictate switches, and just poor close-outs. It was just for a stretch, but those are the things that can lead to a huge run in the other direction, which happened.

#2: Big Gabe Vincent offensive punch early on.

As I said in my last post-game piece, Gabe Vincent has been outstanding at filling the role of Kyle Lowry in the starting lineup over recent weeks, but his best minutes continue to come next to Lowry instead. In this one, Vincent enters, and man was he shooting that ball. He had back to back pull-up triples in that stretch, and they were from deep, which was almost Lowry-esque just due to pulling it with confidence in transition. Big picture, discussing playoff lineups or rotations is weird due to the unknown of who will be available, but it’s clear the rotation will shrink. With that said, Vincent will be the perfect filler whenever they need a specific boost in perimeter defense, while also providing quite the offensive versatility. It’ll be interesting when that time comes, but for now, what a story Vincent has been in terms of climbing the ranks after going undrafted, then climbing those ranks even further once again.

#3: Jimmy Butler, the release valve, once again for Miami.

Who was the other person to not only get Miami in front early, but keep the steady pace as Washington edged back? Jimmy Butler. Most of it is just Butler doing Butler things in terms of bulldozing his way down the lane and scoring around the rim, but when zooming out into the actions being run, he was their release valve. We saw a bunch of inverted pick and rolls with Lowry, and that’s due to the need to draw the mismatch, then execute it in isolation. Butler began to do that, even throwing in some unique counters on Deni Avdija when in the mid-post, but it’s just so crucial to see this play out two games in a row. There will be smaller teams, or switchy teams like Charlotte, who Miami could see in the playoffs, and man will that have ‘Butler series’ written all over it. That’s when he’s at his best, but it’s also their offensive savior when things begin to get broken up in their base sets.

#4: A Bam Adebayo third quarter shift.

To continue on Miami’s plan of Butler attacking smaller guards, although that was their base, they didn’t have anything to revert to at times. Kyle Lowry still isn’t looking to score, PJ Tucker just takes what comes to him in that corner, and Duncan Robinson was a bit up and down. With that said, all eyes are on Bam Adebayo to do something as the Wizards creep back in. And he did just that. A big time third quarter was filled with some gifted dunks on the roll to start it off, but things trended back in the direction of what we saw the previous two games. One play, he got the deep seal on a smaller guy, which he then turned right into that post hook with no kick-out crossing his mind. The next play, they insert it into him for a post split, but it turns into iso mode on the clear-out, where he drives off the face-up leading to a foul. These aggressive scoring spurts are the stand-out moments of this past week for this Heat team.

Loading
Loading...

#5: A little winning streak before the trade deadline.

Tonight’s win over Washington was their third straight win, and it’s a pretty good time to start streaking. This was the final game before the trade deadline on Thursday, and well, I wouldn’t expect many things to change. The Heat could end up making some marginal upgrades to find that back-up 4 as PJ Tucker protection, but simply their rotation seems pretty set. A move that seems most likely is maybe sending a piece out to upgrade Caleb Martin’s contract from two-way to a normal roster spot. Either way, this Heat team sits atop the East with so many guys missing time, but the emergence of these young guys is just the most settling part. If guys go down, there’s protection. If they need to plug a certain skill in a series, there’s protection. They’re in a great spot, and the vets haven’t even hit their main strides.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over the Hornets

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat took down the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, behind aggressiveness from Bam Adebayo and a scoring takeover from Jimmy Butler.

But here are some takeaways from the match-up…

#1: Intentional Bam Adebayo transcends any potential trade deadline acquisition.

Watching Bam Adebayo to start this game, it looked like it was heading in the wrong direction. Losing the ball at the head of the offense, almost seeming like his wrapped hand is restricting his ball-handling. But that aside, we saw an intentional version of Adebayo on the offensive end, and that transcends any possible trade or any expected version of Victor Oladipo upon return. If Bam is playing like this, by attacking mismatches on smaller defenders, gaining momentum on drives, and straight up trying to score, then Miami’s ceiling is raising. But to be fair, Adebayo was shooting 3 for 13 at the half, which in my opinion should not matter. The attempts is the main element, and he was causing positive things offensively. Now, he even followed up my piece on his defensive improvements with another absolute masterpiece. This is a team that you can switch everything, and man did he switch everything. Locking up anybody they threw his way, which leads into my next point.

#2: Both Charlotte and Miami matching their first half offensive plan.

The Heat clearly struggled to shoot the ball to start, but how did they generate enough offense? Well, it was simple: attack the mismatch on the block each and every possession. Part of that was Adebayo against PJ Washington early, but it was just simply Jimmy Butler doing Jimmy Butler things. Getting position in the post, scoring around the rim, or drawing fouls consistently. But Charlotte began to blend into a similar offensive mindset. While the Heat were punishing them on the interior, the Hornets were searching for the favorable switch. And well, that was Tyler Herro most of that second quarter. Guys like Miles Bridges would get the switch, the Hornets would space out, and it led to either two things: a score inside from Bridges on the mismatch, or hitting the open spacer after Miami’s weak-side defender pulls down. Both teams navigated the offensive advantage, but funny enough, they were much more alike than you’d think.

#3: Big picture, does the winner come down to who controls the pace?

Coming into this game, my overarching take for Miami was the pace would have to lean in their favor. This is a young and athletic Hornets team who love to run, and the Heat should really slow things down and grind it out. And with the poor shooting on both sides to start, that was point Miami. Yet as things began to pick up, and Charlotte made that second quarter run, you could sense the Heat falling into that constant running trap. Now, to zoom out for a second due to the possibility of these teams seeing each other with higher stakes, that’s who will come out on top most nights. Another reason it would favor Miami in a playoff series is because the game naturally slows down anyway, but when a young quarterback like LaMelo Ball is running the show, he can dictate however he wants. It would just end up being the LaMelo Ball-Kyle Lowry show.

#4: The Jimmy Butler takeover upon us again, but frankly, this one was…odd?

As Jimmy Butler walks off the court late in the third with 27 points, it raises an eyebrow in some ways. Why is that? Well, it was one of the weirdest scoring takeovers I’ve seen from him all year. Sometimes it’s just pure free throw line antics. Other times it’s hunting mismatches to get easy looks off the drive. But tonight, that 27 kinda just…happened. All jokes aside though, the way Butler can just slowly chip away and expand a lead like he did in the third is really a skill. Like I mentioned before, he took over to start with his ability to take control of mismatches on the block, but he was a late shot clock killer as time went on. We’ve seen Miami’s role players takeover many nights, but seeing Butler and Adebayo control throughout is a great sight.

Loading
Loading...

#5: Navigating the first round match-ups.

We’ve seen Miami face many of the teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff standings, we’ve seen some trends. And no, I’m not just basing this off of one loss or one win. The Cleveland Cavaliers can clearly provide some problems for Miami offensively, just due to the length they can throw out there, and pretty much block off the entire interior whenever they choose. The Toronto Raptors are one of the most unique teams in that range, just due to their switchiness and grittiness, but that’s a series that could clearly wear Miami out before moving on. And now, the Charlotte Hornets. It’s a talented young group who have a high ceiling and low floor from night to night, due to the way they can score in a spark fashion, but Miami matches up with them decently. It’s one of the few teams they can switch everything against, and the attack is pretty much there to be taken all night. It’s Heat basketball, and it wouldn’t be the worst match-up in the world come playoff time.

 

For business window graphics, interior office signage, custom flags, custom banners and sign repair, reach out to SignsBrowardFortLauderdale.