The Miami Heat Tip Off, Week One: We’re back, sort of

The new 2018-19 first edition of the Miami Heat Tip-Off, a weekly AllUCanHeat column, is back.

It’s a new season and the Miami Heat are off to a rocky start already.

Nothing new there necessarily, but this season breathes new air to a more developed Heat team. In fact, being Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance, it seems like a tribute year for him, as well as a breakthrough one for Josh Richardson.

The 2018-19 Miami Heat are 1-2 in the early going, but have displayed immense talent even with an already thin roster due to, yes you guessed it, the injury plague.

Still, that shouldn’t be an excuse for their start, especially with a LeBron James-less Eastern Conference that is up for the taking.

The bright side of it all, however, is that those first three games (including their first win off a Kelly Olynyk putback clutch shot against the Washington Wizards), have been decided by less than three points.

Their rough season opener saw Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic destroy the Heat in the paint, with 26 points and 16 rebounds in 38 minutes of action.

Their second game, like previously mentioned, saw practically a buzzer beater to secure the win over John Wall‘s Wizards.

And their third game saw Kemba Walker explode for 39 points, in a 113-112 loss in South Beach.

So would you say it’s time for panic?

Of course not, especially with so many great takeaways from these games.

Derrick Jones Jr., or Airplane Mode, is an athletic freak that only needs to develop a jumper to become a threat.

Hassan Whiteside is coming back to the double-double monster he used to be, playing with a chip on his shoulder.

Richardson erupted for back-to-back dominant performances with a newfound, intriguing aggressive approach compared to last year. In fact, last season he only had eight games with over 20+ points, and this year he is already two of three.

Combine all that with the Heat Lifer in Wade, who can take over in any given moment (see the 21-point performance against Charlotte during which he made back-to-back 3’s), and you have a new, revitalized team that should make that leap from mediocrity this year.

But before we jump the gun a bit, let’s take it week by week, which is what I intend to do in this AUCH weekly column.

Upcoming Games:

Wednesday, October 24 versus the New York Knicks (Home)

Saturday, October 27 versus the Portland Trail Blazers (Home)

This Week’s Preview:

This week should be a breeze, all things considered. They have already granted the fans with three emotional, gut-wrenching games that came down to the wire, but expect this week to be different.

Their first game this week is up against the New York Knicks, who are riding a three-game losing streak after back-to-back close matchups with the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. Knicks’ rookie Kevin Knox is out with an ankle injury, and Kristaps Porzingis is still recovering from an ACL surgery with no timetable for his return.

This leaves the Knicks vulnerable, and if the Heat can once again get that quick jump-start like they’ve been doing already, this should be a bounce-back win for Miami.

One they desperately need.

The trailblazers are a different story, but not an impossible one.

After a hot start, with wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs at home, they start their road trip in Florida. They are also coming off a nail-biter loss against the Wizards team that Miami already beat.

This should bode well for Miami, especially considering their two-day rest at home.

Expect a strong 2-0 record this week, barring any setbacks.

The Heat have already shown flashes of a new team this year; they just need to fix their second quarter woes (as opposed to their previous third quarter ones). If they can manage that, they should gain their confidence back in time to make their homestand run.

This Week’s Challenges

Will Justise Winslow finally make his season debut?

Hassan Whiteside is already injured… is this a cause for panic?

Can Richardson and Wade continue their hot hand?

The Miami Heat Tip-Off is back baby.