Miami Heat: 5 bold predictions for Game 5 against the Boston Celtics
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra won’t utilize more than eight players.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Expect head coach Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat to fully embody that saying in Game 5 on Friday night. He deployed just eight players in Game 4, and it resulted in their best game of the series. So in a Game 5 where Miami is riding all the momentum, don’t expect that to change.
Spoelstra went with their usual starting lineup, and then followed those guys up with Tyler Herro, Andre Iguodala, and (surprisingly) Solomon Hill for the first time in this postseason. The bigger shock there is that Kelly Olynyk received a “DNP-Coach’s Decision” for the first time in Orlando.
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Nonetheless, Miami’s coach and the team have found just enough of what works and have just enough will and power to execute that. That’s been the way of this culture since it’s birth, not being afraid to accept change as long as it provides the Heat with their preferred outcome.
This season alone they’ve permanently benched starting big man Meyers Leonard and benched both Rookie of the Year finalist Kendrick Nunn and spot-starter Derrick Jones Jr.
Don’t look for a 10th man to come of the bench for the Heat on Friday. Maybe ninth, but my official prediction is Spoelstra stops at eight players off the bench in Game 5.