Miami Heat: How can the team bounce back against Memphis?
The Miami Heat look to land on their feet, as their Western Conference road trip continues against the Memphis Grizzlies.
So, the Miami Heat lost to the Utah Jazz by 27 points.
No big deal.
As bad as the game was, it was not the worst loss in Heat history. No, that honor goes to the 1991-92 Heat team, which froze over like an Antarctic winter, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Miami lost that game, 148-80. Of the 12 Heat players who hit the court, only Steve Smith scored in double digits. To make matters worse, none of Cleveland’s players breached the 20-point mark.
Despite that, the Heat still made the playoffs.
That is not to suggest that the current Miami team is playoff bound. The Heat have reduced firepower, with guys like Tyler Johnson, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, missing time for a variety of reasons.
But to say the team can’t turn things around after Utah is wholly misleading. Though Dragic is still out with an ailing knee, Whiteside will return, according to pregame reports.
Having Whiteside in town to square off against Memphis is incredibly important.
In Utah, the Heat were outrebounded 52-30, with Rudy Gobert cleaning the glass better than any of Miami’s men.
The story would be much the same against the Grizzlies, as Marc Gasol, while not as much of a rebound magnet at just 8.7 per game, has incredible footwork to complement his 255-pound frame.
Gasol’s soft touch means he regularly turns offensive boards into points with a single tap. Or, his quick thinking and court vision turns a missed shot into a back tap to reset the possession.
In addition to needing Whiteside to battle in the paint, Miami’s other centers, Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk, need to be smart about engaging the three-time All-Star Gasol.
Adebayo can outpace Gasol in a foot race, while Olynyk’s jump shot can draw him away from the rim. That won’t entirely clear the lane for Miami, especially with rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. willing to crash the paint, but anything Miami can get going in its favor is welcomed.
More important than icing out any of Memphis’s players, however, is keeping control of the game’s pace.
The Grizzlies are the NBA’s slowest team, and for good reason. They don’t take many 3’s—in fact they are fourth-worst in the league at 27.4 per game. Each Memphis possession is dreadfully long, drawn out by ball movement on offense and one of the league’s stickiest defenses.
If the Heat start shaving time off the clock, they’ll be in for a rough night. Memphis preys on that indecision—the Grizzlies are undefeated when they hold teams to fewer than 90 points (6-0).
Evidenced by Miami’s reoccurring third quarter perils, the Heat are known to settle for poor shots when the going gets tough. Once the cacophony of bricks starts to fly, the Heat will be stuck at the mercy of Memphis.
Tonight’s game isn’t the time for hero ball.
No singular Heat player would have been able to turn that Utah loss around on Wednesday, any more than Josh Richardson, Dwyane Wade or Whiteside will be able to beat Memphis on their own tonight.
The Grizzlies will test Miami’s teamwork. And after a 27-point loss, every Miami misstep will be amplified tenfold.
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The Heat tip off in Memphis at 8:00 PM ET.