The Miami Heat have gotten off to a bumpy start but don’t hit the panic button just yet.
The Miami Heat haven’t been their sharpest to start the 2020-21 NBA Season. With coronavirus protocols, a volatile NBA schedule, the fact that last season practically just ended, and the typical rigors of beginning any long NBA season, the Miami Heat just haven’t completely had it.
That’s ok though. Well, for starters, we are only a week in.
They’ve only played five games and although they”ve gone 2-3 over those five contests, there are plenty more games to be played. Beyond that though, there are a few more reasons not to hit the panic button just yet.
They get a bit more specific. Here they are, three in particular.
Very Unfortunate And Unique Circumstances
The Miami Heat dropped their opening night game to the Orlando Magic in a tough, hard-fought, and classic Miami Heat/Orlando game. The Milwaukee and Mavericks losses were different though.
In the Milwaukee defeat, the Bucks practically had the best shooting night ever for an NBA team. The Miami Heat didn’t help themselves in the turnover department that night but they couldn’t’ have beat that Bucks team with half the turnovers.
That’s substantiated a little by the fact that they beat them the following night by double-digits with an equal amount of turnovers as the game from the previous night where they lost by nearly 50 points. In Friday’s game, there was another phenomenon working against the Miami Heat.
They couldn’t’ hit shots from range. That hasn’t been an issue for them over the past year or so.
They just couldn’t’ get it going from range as a team. Duncan Robinson was even awful and when that happens, you know it’s bad.
It took two rare occurrences thus far in the season for the Miami Heat to get two of their three losses thus far. That’s the first reason not to hit the panic button.
For the Miami Heat, there are many situations that could explain slow starts by their guys.
The Miami Heat are famously the most well-conditioned team in professional basketball. That is something that is known.
Well, with the way that the dates and season scheduled has played out this year, they perhaps haven’t had a chance to abide by the same standards that they normally would. That could help to explain why some players are rusty or out of shape even.
Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things
For a player like Avery Bradley, he didn’t play in the bubble due to opting out for his son’s health. Well, he gets a pass to get back into shape because it’s literally been over a year since he last played.
You also look at guys like Jimmy Butler. With him, he’s played a ton of basketball over the past few seasons and has given a lot in those games.
I know that is the case when it comes to last season, as he was the engine that carried Miami in the Finals. We all remember what will go down as that iconic picture of him crouched over the railing under the rim.
He had given all he had. That’s what you love to see.
Either way though, you give him a pass too. Perhaps he hasn’t fully gotten back into the swing of things, with that ankle tweak, and with the fact that he didn’t play in the short preseason at all, we need to give him time to get right.
When looking at other guys on the team and for many reasons like the long run last year, the differences in the schedule and how that impacts the body, or any number of other reasons, we need to give it just a bit more time before we panic. We have to see them close to what their peak can be this season to make a sensible call.
That will only happen once everyone has shaken off the rust, cobwebs, and gained their second winds from all that’s happened over the last year or so. That’s the second reason why you shouldn’t’ hit the panic button yet.
If the Miami Heat begin to fall too far down, Pat Riley will shake things up.
Here’s the thing about the Miami Heat. I never worry about them.
It may sound a few ways. It could sound a bit arrogant, a bit fictitious, or even a bit nonchalant but it’s none of those things.
It’s confidence in management. With Pat Riley calling the ultimate shots around there, I trust that he’ll always make the right basketball move.
If things are getting too far out of hand at some point, even too far out of hand this early in the year, I trust Pat Riley to properly shake things up. That would be the point where he does whatever it takes to land Harden or something like that if we’re being honest.
We haven’t gotten there yet though and hopefully we won’t. Frankly, there is an option or two there just before you pull the trigger on Harden as well but everything would be on the table.
That’s the last reason why I won’t hit the panic button yet. When you have Pat Riley making the moves, just sit back and watch him work.
The Miami Heat are off until Monday when they will face a different looking Oklahoma City Thunder team. Gone are the days of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka, but they now have a new star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He’ll look to get a win over Miami with his newest teammate, Al Horford. This Miami Heat team will be alright.
This is a trap game though, as the Miami Heat should win this game. Other than the three reasons mentioned above though, them handling their business on Monday should be just what the doctor ordered to let you know that it’s not time to panic just yet.