53 clutch games was a few too many for the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat made history in more ways than one last season.
Reserve guard Wayne Ellington drilled a franchise record number of 3’s. And, unforgettably, the Heat scored a league-high 149 points in a double-overtime game against the Denver Nuggets last March.
While getting so many buckets is worthy of praise (or critique), it pales in comparison to one number in particular: 53.
53 is the number of games that entered the NBA’s definition of “the clutch”; in other words, when the game clock ticks under five minutes and the score is within 5 points.
Generally, the clutch conjures imagery of Allen Iverson fading some lowly defender or Dwyane Wade drilling a triple, jumping on the table and exclaiming “This is my house! This is my city!”.
That wasn’t Miami’s clutch last season.
No Waiters, big problem
The Heat were without Dion Waiters for the majority of the season. Subsequently, Waiters was only present for 19 of Miami’s close endings.
Included in this bunch was the November 11, 2017 game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Though the score at the end of the game indicated a 10-point Miami victory, the ending was very much a clutch situation.
That night, Waiters scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth to lead Miami to victory. His bag of tricks included a slick layup past Utah’s defensive monster Rudy Gobert, a fadeaway corner 3 with the shot clock winding down, a patented step-back mid-range jumper and a steely triple over Donovan Mitchell.
The rest of the Heat only managed 15 points without Waiters, not enough to outpace the 17 scored by the Jazz.
See where this is going?
Without Waiters, Miami was listless in the clutch. He is the engine, wheels and air conditioning in the Heat’s collective Lamborghini. He drives home, end of game situations with a fervor that inspires memories of Wade’s prime.
(Enough with the car puns.)
The Heat were 12-7 with Waiters in last minute contests, and an even 17-17 without him. Assuming Waiters was healthy, Miami likely manages a few more W’s ahead of the playoffs.
Going into the clutch is problem enough, but without Waiters close games are the last thing the Heat should want.
Tired yet?
Worse than the decisive lack of Waiters in late-game situations, is the toll clutch games has on the team. Miami managed to string together a season best seven-game win streak this year. That’s a far cry from the 13-game streak from 2016-17.
When as many of your games come down to the last five minutes as Miami’s, it’s understandable that you’d be spent.
The Heat had a revolving door roster last season. With long and short-term injuries to their core – including Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Justise Winslow – Miami never quite found their rhythm.
Add to that the late nights and comeback victories, and the Heat would be explicably out of sorts.
"“You have to deal with some things that aren’t going your way and again show that resiliency just to find a way,” head coach Erik Spoesltra said last January of Miami’s close contests."
Miami’s relative resiliency was enough to earn a playoff berth, but not enough to make a run. Part of their inability to play deep into April and May could be explained through their tired legs.
Compared to the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami’s first round opponent, the Heat played 14 more games that went into the clutch in the last three months of the season, outcomes that add up in the playoffs.
For Miami to find long-term success, finding a way to stifle their appearances in the clutch is paramount.