Miami Heat: Win streaks, zone defense and more versus Magic

After breaking the Milwaukee Bucks’ four-game win streak, the Miami Heat move on to Orlando Magic, with the intention of improving to five-straight victories.

The Miami Heat have won four games in a row.

Four might not seem particularly significant, especially for a team that has racked up seven and 13-game win streaks in years past, but Miami’s current high marks a notable trend.

Between 2010 and 2014, Miami reached the NBA Finals four times. Every year, the seasons transition—from winter to spring to summer to autumn—in a cycle of four. The Olympics are held every four years.

The number four provides solace where numbers two and three fall short. If two is a repeat and three’s company, four is a habit. It’s a pattern. Four is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

When something happens four times, it’s probably here to stay.

Miami hopes the magic of four hangs around South Beach for a while longer. The Heat broke Milwaukee’s win streak while preserving their own, toppling the Eastern Conference’s second-place team, 94-87.

Saturday night’s success stemmed from head coach Erik Spoelstra’s use of 2-3 zone to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Though zone usually instigates offenses to inject themselves with high-volume 3-point heaves, Miami lucked out; Milwaukee shot 9-for-43 from deep, good for 21 percent, despite entering the game shooting 35 percent per game.

Playing zone benefited Hassan Whiteside, whose relatively limited mobility on the perimeters was supplanted by being able to focus on protecting the rim.

Despite being left block-less for just the second time this season, Whiteside’s presence in the zone was enough to lock up the lane. He and Miami limited Antetokounmpo to a season-low nine points, and forced the team to give up 17 turnovers along the way.

"“In high school I played a lot of zone. I love playing zone,” Whiteside said before of Sunday’s game against the Magic in Orlando. “I almost went to Syracuse. I wish I could have gone to Syracuse just to play zone.”"

Now, the Heat can take that habitual zone and their win streak back to Orlando, where they will play the Magic on Sunday evening.

State rivals

The matchup has favored Orlando over the last two seasons. Miami has dropped seven of their last 10 meetings, including both games this season.

While Orlando is a markedly different team from Milwaukee—notably lacking a monstrous presence that can play and guard all five positions, the Heat wouldn’t be out of pocket to resort back to zone defense.

Nikola Vucevic is Orlando’s most dynamic piece. He’s effectively grown into the Eastern Conference echo of the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, but the two share more in common than their names.

A perennial post-presence, Miami’s zone should help wall out Vucevic getting easy, one-on-one post ups against Whiteside, Bam Adebayo or Kelly Olynyk. Vucevic is second among centers with the shortest touch time per possession (about 73 percent of his shots come within two seconds of getting the ball).

Decisive and quick to analyze defensive spacing, Vucevic will take advantage of any gaps to find effortless buckets.

Vucevic has also improved his passing with each successive season in the NBA. Currently averaging 3.7 dimes per game, the Montenegro-native is regularly making inside-out passes that lead into triples.

This will be a huge problem should Miami continue with their zone. The 2-3 spread limits wing coverage, meaning Vucevic will have plenty chances to hit shooters like Evan Fournier.

Swapping to a 3-2 or even 1-3-1 might alleviate those passing qualms, but such zonal variations would open the flood gates for Vucevic to take it to Miami’s thin back line.

Interspersing zone with man coverage is likely a trend Miami wants to employ, as constant shifts in defensive focal points should keep Orlando from finding a rhythm.

Miami will also have to contend with the explosive Aaron Gordon, who has developed a reliable 3-point shot entering 2018-19. But the last four games haven’t been kind to the 2014 draft pick, limiting him to 10.5 points on 28 percent shooting during the stretch.

The Heat have all the momentum entering tonight’s game.

The last contest until after Christmas, Miami needs to power through this back-to-back, to earn a some much needed time off.