The Miami Heat are in as tough a position as anyone could have imagined heading into Game 3 of their opening round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Being down 0-2 at this point and coming off of one of the most embarrassing playoff losses ever, the Miami Heat must figure some things out before Thursday.
While the deployment, aggression, and the ability to hit shots by some guys are all things to look our for or adjust on the Miami Heat’s part, perhaps a strategic change is necessary at this point as well. When it comes to defending Giannis Antetokounmpo, for years now it seems, the thought has been to build a wall to keep him out of the paint or away from the rim.
The Miami Heat have to make some major adjustments heading into Game 3 with Milwaukee, but should bailing on ‘the wall’ be one of them?
The Miami Heat have deployed this strategy, at times, as well and to good results. They were able to knock the Bucks out of last year’s playoffs, while somewhat, containing Giannis in the first matchup in this series.
In Game 2 though, the Bucks were finding open shooters and because of all the effort it takes to build that wall, the Miami Heat were either unable to get to them in time or simply, unable at all. That’s how you allow 10 threes in the opening quarter, a team to go 22-53 from deep for a whole game, and ultimately, get beat by 34 points in the playoffs.
With that, here’s a thought. Is it time to abandon “the wall” if you’re Coach Spo and the Miami Heat?
The answer is no, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t tinker. Most of anything is about awareness.
While in-game adjustments are a huge part of all sports, it’s easier to make them between-games. As tough as the Miami Heat seem to like to make things, that stands for them too.
That should be the key focus heading into Game 3. They will still need to build the wall, in order to prevent Giannis from killing them by himself.
However, they will need to be more ready and adept at bailing on the wall to get to shooters sooner. They tried, a bit, on Monday but they always seemed too late or just… absent.
Preparing yourself mentally and helping everyone to get on the same page there is the best course of action here, because you can’t let Giannis beat you, but you can’t allow them to go nuclear from deep again either. They’ll have to figure out how to do both, as balanced and as effectively as possible.