The Miami Heat’s offseason has officially begun, and the AllUCanHeat staff has a few things to say about their playoff run.
Let’s dive right in. What was the highlight of this Miami Heat/Philadelphia 76ers series for you?
Allana Tachauer (@AllanaTachauer): Honestly? I don’t think anything made me as happy as seeing Hassan Whiteside mock Joel Embiid‘s “finger celebration.” Call me petty, but it was a thing of beauty. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.
Rich Nurse (@followthepen): The obvious highlight of the series would be Dwyane Wade‘s 28-point Game 2 flashback. But the thing that stuck out the most was the team’s willingness to go out and get borderline dirty. It was a nice throwback feel.
Brandon Johnson (@bjtripleot): The only answer has to be Wade’s 28-point eruption in Game 2. Broadly, Miami showed they have plenty of grit to matchup with some of the NBA’s best. But Wade provided a first-hand definition of the word “ascension”. He’s 36-years-old and able to outsmart players 15 years his junior. For young guys like Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson, seeing Wade continue to push his boundaries should be a powerful motivator.
Malcom Haynes (@realMGHaynes): Hands down, Winslow stepping on Embiid’s mask. I probably watched that clip 10 times, and every time it made me laugh. Winslow “the heel” is awesome.
Lauren Gewirtz (@laurengewirtz): The highlight for me in this series was Wade’s Game 2 performance in Philadelphia. Not knowing when he will decide to retire, it was so great to see him completely take over a game and lead the Heat to a playoff win this late in his career.
Chase Eyrich (@Ceyrich): Game 2 was the highlight for me. Not only was it a victory, but it felt like it brought a lot of positives to the current situation. Tying up the series before heading to Miami created a great chance for the Heat to run with the momentum. It also showed that the Heat could hold off a comeback and not collapse. It brought out a great amount of positives despite how the series ended.
Kris Keaton (@kmkeaton2): The highlight of the series was obviously watching Wade put on one of his vintage performances in Game 2 (even the way he almost willed us to a win in Game 4). If this is the last time we see him play in the NBA, I’ll be forever grateful for those two performances, plus seeing him live in person for Game 5.
Sequoia Sims (@Qsims39): Wade. In two games played, he came off the bench and scored 53 points in 52 minutes.
Who impressed you the most over the span of these five games?
Tachauer: Obviously Wade was incredible during the entire series, but his performance was expected. So for me, Winslow deserves the shoutout. He not only got going offensively (on top of showcasing his usual high-level defense), but let out this gritty, edgy side to him that I absolutely loved. I mean, the guy stepped on Embiid’s mask. Savage.
Nurse: I’ve been critical of Winslow for about two years, so I’m shocked to say that he impressed me the most in this series (besides a few boneheaded plays on both ends of the floor). He was willing to dig in and get aggressive on defense and his offense showed signs of hope, from the 3-point line to finishing drives.
Johnson: For his willingness to step up and guard Embiid, Bam Adebayo gets my vote. Adebayo has made tremendous progress this season, from the time he spent losing passes and missing lobs, to stringing together insane dunk highlights. Stepping up in the playoffs is a great start to hopefully a long Miami Heat career.
Haynes: Winslow. I absolutely love the way he played. He was all over the court, grabbing man-sized rebounds, blocking Embiid, shutting down Ben Simmons, shooting 37 percent on 3’s, aggressively attacking the rim, and making good decisions when handling the ball. The Heat love talking about winning plays and that’s all Winslow is about. He showed he can be a Draymond Green-type player on a championship team.
Gewirtz: I don’t think I can pick one player as I was impressed by all the young talent in Richardson, Adebayo and Winslow. It’s encouraging to see those players come into the playoffs and not back down from the moment, even though mistakes were made. Watching them in this series gave me hope for the future of this team.
Eyrich: Winslow brought his game to another level. He’s always been there defensively but stepped up even more so. There were times that he had what it took on the offensive end and other times where he made up for it with different roles. The “Bad Boy” mentality that he came with was fantastic. For the most part he played it perfectly. He brought more passion to his game with it and that’s what the Heat need.
Keaton: I would have to say it was Winslow. He played with a toughness that is a nice foundation to build on. Although the jump shot can still use work, he may be heading in the right direction after this series.
Sims: Goran Dragic averaged 18.6 points a game against the 76ers, to go with 2.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.0 steal, while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. He was the most consistent player on the Heat and his passion and fearless demeanor gave the fan base hope that the Heat could potentially turn the series around.
How do you feel head coach Erik Spoelstra performed?
Tachauer: So here’s the thing. I’m a huge fan of Spoelstra. Always have been, and probably always will be. But his rotations lately? I have so many questions. From barely using Wayne Ellington in the fourth quarter period, to playing Kelly Olynyk for just nine minutes in Game 4… he struggled. I understand that during the regular season he had a handful of injuries to work around, but I’m not sure what happened in this series. Don’t get me started on how he utilized Hassan Whiteside either.
Nurse: I will always be critical of Spoelstra, because he’s a great coach whose poor decisions always seem to be masked with excuses. It can be debated if he gave Whiteside a true chance or just gave up on him, but there is no denying that he stayed with poor lineups too long, let the Philadelphia 76ers gain momentum for too long and often benched players with the hot hand… Shaky coaching at best.
Johnson: Spoelstra did the best he could with Miami. At times, pulling guys like Winslow or not trying Luke Babbitt for his 3-point scoring might have backfired, but this team is still very much a work-in-progress. Still, Spoelstra is the only coach I could imagine on Miami’s sideline for the foreseeable future.
Haynes: Spoelstra did a good job. He put the Heat in position to win each game. We were winning or tied at the half, every single game in the series. The inability to close out games is a result of lack of talent, not coaching.
Gewirtz: This is a very divisive topic right now on #HeatTwitter. I personally trust Spoelstra as a coach, but that doesn’t mean he is exempt from scrutiny or making mistakes. I think he made a few in the series against the Sixers. The biggest being not changing the lineups enough. I think more adjustments could have been made to combat the speed of the Sixers, especially with Whiteside playing so terribly.
Eyrich: There were times that I was concerned with where he was sharing minutes. Many analysts insisted that Miami did not want to try and run with the pace that the 76ers could bring. In my opinion, Miami played their best basketball this past season when they trusted their offense. I’m fine with slowing the pace down, but there were times that I would have loved to see the Heat run with some of their smaller lineups.
Keaton: These were a tough five games, so I give Spoelstra credit for maximizing most of the team’s talent, but I will feel like he left some food on the table in Games 3 and 4. Using lineups that didn’t include players that were hot at the time was confusing, but also going with Whiteside much longer than he should have, spelled doom for us.
Sims: Rotations could be better, etc. But Spoelstra is dealing with the cards he’s been dealt; trying to massage an immature personality in Whiteside and get him to be motivated enough to give maximum effort play is a challenge. Yes, the Heat need more shooting and better efficient scoring but that’s a personnel issue. Spoelstra is a defensive minded coach, so I’d like to see an offensive minded assistant coach added to his bench.
Your thoughts on Hassan Whiteside… go.
Tachauer: I may be the only fan Whiteside has left, but I still think given the right opportunity, he can be the type of player we all want him to be. Does he have things he needs to work on? Absolutely. Both on, and off the court. But between his injuries and Spoelstra not giving him much of a chance after he returned, it’s hard for me to fully blame him for his lackluster year. Much less totally give up on him, moving forward.
Nurse: Did the Heat give up on Whiteside or did Whiteside give up on the Heat? Either way, he underachieved and played with absolutely no effort. I would say it’s time for both sides to go their separate ways.
Johnson: Only Whiteside can determine his future in Miami. While his effort has been questionable, and his season marred by injury, he can still make the leap to be a dominant center. To some extent, that entails limiting his fouls and staying engaged even when his shot isn’t falling. But consistency is an issue for everyone on Miami’s roster. Until they can pinpoint who can lead the team once Wade retires, keeping Whiteside still has plenty of upside.
Haynes: Whiteside has to go. He’s just not a Heat-style player and would probably do well somewhere else. The Heat require devotion, sacrifice, and loyalty to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. He’s just not wired that way. At 28, he still has maturity issues and would probably be happier putting up big stats on a bad team. The problem will be finding any takers.
Gewirtz: As far as Whiteside goes, I don’t have much to say that hasn’t been said somewhere on the Internet already. He played absolutely terribly in this series and there is no excuse for it; he’s healthy and had one of his biggest competitors in Embiid playing against him for the latter part of this series. The thing that is so hard to grasp about Whiteside is that fans know what he is capable of. He can put up 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Where his future with the Heat stands — I’ll just say I don’t think there’s much of one left after that performance, along with other issues that have arisen.
Eyrich: I have tried to be supportive of Whiteside this season because we have seen how dominate he can be. Unfortunately, there were just too many times this season where I have questioned his effort. I think it showed the most in this series. I can understand that he was upset with his minutes, but he didn’t make the most of the time he was given and that’s on him.
Keaton: I don’t know how much I’ll be able to write here, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet: it’s time for Whiteside to go. I was never a fan of the max deal in the first place, but he just hasn’t been the same player since he signed. For a man his size, he doesn’t assert himself physically. He’s becoming too slow for the game, as evidenced by his ineffectiveness this series, and his attitude is a major disappointment. He has the worst body language I’ve ever seen. It may be a miracle to see someone take his contract, but I’m hoping for the best. He was once a feel good story, but with the max contract comes responsibility, and he’s fallen extremely short in being a leader.
Sims: Breaking news: Whiteside is not a max player (not even close). That player from two or three years ago? Sorry folks, he’s never walking through that Heat door again. Right now he’s a player that didn’t give maximum effort and that didn’t work on his game this past season. He got exposed in this series and he tried to blame everyone else. Whiteside showed a lack of awareness and discipline on the court, which help lead to foul trouble and turnovers. And in the end, he was benched because of his play and attitude. So it’s time to part ways. (Yes, I know, tells us how you really feel “Q”…)
Will you miss Tony, or are you ready for someone new?
Tachauer: I’m so sad Tony is moving on from broadcasting. He’s really one-of-a-kind, and it’s going to be hard to get used to hearing another voice on air, especially alongside Eric. I actually had a chance to meet Tony twice this season, once in Chicago and once in Milwaukee, and it was clear just how much he truly loved his job, night in and night out. I wish him only the best.
Nurse: Tony and Eric were great together but over the last few years they have seemed annoyed by each other over the air…. Bring on John Crotty?
Johnson: “Coach” is Heat culture, through and through. When you have a partnership that runs as long as Reid’s and Fiorentino’s, it’s near-impossible to imagine a new voice with the Heat. But I wish him all the best in his next chapter.
Haynes: I will definitely miss Tony. Having listened to a lot of games, the Heat had the best broadcast team in the NBA. Tony was one of the few broadcasters who loved his team but wasn’t a “homer.” When the Heat committed a foul, Tony called it a foul. He was also a great person, running youth camps and actively participating in the Miami community. He will be hard to replace.
Gewirtz: Of course, I’ll miss Tony. He has been a voice of the Heat for as long as I have been watching the team. With that being said, I’m looking forward to seeing who replaces him and what kind of new voice he or she has for the Heat next season.
Eyrich: After seeing Tony tied with the broadcast for so long, it is sad to see him go. With that said, a new pace will be good for the broadcast and I’m excited to see who they bring.
Keaton: I will miss Tony, as he’s been a staple, but I look forward to someone new getting an opportunity to build their legacy.
Sims: I will always miss Tony, but I’m excited to see what a new voice and energy will bring to the table.
Next: Three reasons why Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade shouldn't retire yet
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