Miami Heat vs Brooklyn Nets Game Breakdown #4
Welcome to the first game breakdown of the season. After each game, you will see my thoughts on the game, film breakdown, and other interesting bits that stood out to me.
Another day, another win.
This was not the result that I thought was going to happen. Of course, I had the Miami Heat winning, but not the way they did. For most of the game, the Heat were winning convincingly, having a 12 point lead in the second quarter.
The Brooklyn Nets did come out strong in the second half, completely erasing that lead and taking an eight-point lead themselves. That didn't last long, however. And once the Heat got back into the game, they were in control the rest of the night.
But it's the way they did it that was surprising.
We know this team can play defense, but this is Kevin Durant and James Harden that we're talking about. So, can you imagine that the Heat held them to 88.9 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass?
88.9!!!
The Heat so far have held all of their opponents to under 49% effective field goal — with yesterday holding the Nets to 47.1%
There weren't any key performances on the offensive from any particular player — yes, Bam Adebayo had 24 points, but I feel like this game was more of a team effort on offense and a great defense that won the game.
Five players had 14 or more points and Kyle Lowry was close to cracking double digits.
Tucker, Adebayo & Butler's Defense
https://twitter.com/SimonSperling/status/1453693163957198851
That is exactly why the Heat brought in Tucker — not for his scoring, playmaking or whatever, but for the defense and everything else that he does that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.
Defending one of the best scorers ever and holding him to 6 points and 4 turnovers is freaking amazing.
And if you want more of a deeper dive into Tucker's impact on defense, be sure to check out Brady Hawk's latest article.
Here's a play that stood out from Tucker for me:
https://twitter.com/JohnJablonka_/status/1453734872644665344
A smart play when he realized Durant has Duncan Robinson guarding him.
And as for Adebayo, players are shooting 12-50 against him. He is certainly making his DPOY case, #Bam4DPOY
However, the impact doesn't stop here. One of the most impactful aspects of Jimmy Butler is his ability to play off-ball and be that free safety. There have been countless plays where he can roam around the court, gambling in passing lanes and setting timely traps and doubles.
Yet again, Butler finished the game with a game-high four steals.
He is showcasing each night the multiple ways he will steal that ball — reading passing lanes or striping that ball.
Role Player's Offense
Dewyane Dedmon had 14 points.
I really, really like Dedmon. He is getting seven points and seven rebounds per game in only 15 minutes of action. His per 36 are wild — 16.6 points, 16.6 rebounds on 73.4% true shooting
Tucker had 15 points!!! The last time he had 15 points was January 22nd.
These two played a key role in why the Heat were able to win and it's not exaggerating.
Did you know the Heat had 17 offensive rebounds? And did you know those two combined for 10?
The Heat had 31! second-chance points compared to Nets four. That was the difference last game — the ability to punish the team on the glass. If you're getting 31 second-chance point, you're most likely going to win.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball — Heat shot 39.6% from the floor and 27.6% from deep — so, this further emphasizes the importance of getting offensive boards.
Speaking of Offense
The Heat are beating teams comfortably and have a net rating of plus 14.8, per Cleaning the Glass, yet have an offensive rating of 105.9 (20th) — that's because they have a relative defensive rating of ... 16.3, but that's not the point here.
Robinson is missing shots, badly.
Lowry has not been able to score at all.
Tyler Herro has been having off-nights.
Now, can you imagine once the Heat are able to hit shots? Not even something absurd or unrealistic, but right now, the Heat are 26th in 3pt attempts and 27th in 3pt percentage. All I'm asking for is, bump that up to around average-ish. That's all.
The Heat have five players that attempt three or more three-pointers — only one is shooting at a reasonable percentage and that is Tucker.
Robinson is shooting 31.3% on eight attempts
Herro is shooting 31.0% on seven attempts
Lowry is shooting 17.6% on just under six attempts
Max Strus is shooting 26.7% on just under four attempts
Tucker is shooting 38.5% on three attempts
Do you all think that is going to last? Do you think a top-three shooter is going to shoot 31%? Do you think a career 36% shooter is going to shoot 17%?
No! Of course not, and once that offense gets going with this defense, the Heat are going to be scary.
And as for last night's game, here are some things that stood out on offense:
https://twitter.com/JohnJablonka_/status/1453726093165268997
Despite not shooting the ball well, Butler still had his share of plays on the offensive end — driving and kicking out to open guys in the corner, finding players on a cut, you name it.
Herro is another example of having small plays that showcase his improvements, especially in his decision-making.
https://twitter.com/JohnJablonka_/status/1453716627959083016
Things that Caught My Eye:
Lowry loves to push the pace and now it's becoming more common — these pitch-ahead passes are what he does best and as Eric Reid said, he was the best quarterback in New York City.
https://twitter.com/JohnJablonka_/status/1453719782528749568
Yet another game with the dribble-hand-off action with Butler and Robinson — so far, I have counted it five times through four games and it all resulted in open looks for Butler
https://twitter.com/JohnJablonka_/status/1453723557662396431
Butler needs to work on his damn lay-ups!
Loved how they got to the line and had 26 attempts