The Miami Heat are getting set to take on what some, most probably, would call the best team in the entire NBA right now. Residing in Salt Lake City, that would be the Utah Jazz.
Featuring Donovan Mitchell (24 points, four assists, and five rebounds per contest), who’s shooting 40.6 percent on nearly nine(8.6) attempts from downtown per game, Rudy Gobert (14 points, 13 rebounds, and an assist per game), who is also averaging nearly three blocks per contest (2.8), and a resurgent Mike Conley (16 points, three rebounds, and five assists), which is actually closer to 17 points, four boards, and six assists than it is anything, they are dominating right now.
Well, when your cast of characters includes Bojan Bogdanović and Jordan Clarkson, who can fill it up like their starters can, Derrick Favors, a returning favorite who’s still as big and athletic as ever, and let’s not forget, Joe Ingles, a savvy veteran, at this point, who can do everything on the floor accept not give you everything he’s got in the tank at all times, it’s no wonder why they’re as good as they are.
The Miami Heat have a chance to get a validating win over a tough Jazz team on Saturday.
Here’s the thing though. The Miami Heat get paid to play basketball too and they are a pretty tough bunch.
They also have shot the three with legendary pace and precision, though more last year than this year, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t get hot again or heat up again here against Utah. The key for them will be to not allow Utah’s strength to overwhelm them.
That’ll be hard, especially since allowing the three is the Miami Heat’s weakness. It’s a phenomenon more than anything, as no matter whether they are actually playing good defense or not, opposing teams and players have had record-setting or career nights on them from three this year.
They know this too though and they have to know that the Jazz are the best three point shooting team in the league, first in attempts and makes while being tied for second in percentage of their threes made. That’s why you have to think that they will try to make the Jazz beat them from somewhere else on Saturday.
They also have to somehow keep Rudy Gobert from killing them on the glass. Those two things, would greatly help the Miami Heat get a victory on Saturday.
If they can do so, it would be a validating victory. It would mean that earlier in the season, with all the volatility in the lineup due to injury and health protocols, was a fluke and that this is the team we can expect to see moving forward.
Most of us knew that. This might show everyone else though.