How To Get The Miami Heat’s Late-Game Offense Back On Track
The offense in late games is more worrisome than the defense because we’ve seen this team lock-in and get stops to win. Some teams get hot and sometimes defense doesn’t matter, but there is too much talent to not be able to counter these runs from some of these teams.
The fourth quarter, at times, is where the offense gets the most stagnant and it’s a bit embarrassing to watch. Players start barreling their way into defenders to draw a foul but instead, they either get called for an offensive foul or miss badly.
Deep contested twos also seem to make their way into these games and never work towards the end of the game. Sometimes, there will be a lot of standing around and it makes you want to ask, “what are we doing here?”
As simple as it sounds, the Heat need to prioritize the offense in late-game situations around Jimmy Butler. We brought in Kyle Lowry so Jimmy can take over games and for the most part, he has done that.
The thing is that sometimes in games, with both wins and losses, he takes a backseat instead of going for the kill. The Miami Heat don’t need him to score every basket, but when the team is looking around for a closer, Jimmy should be the first to answer the call.
The recent game in Minnesota was hard to watch because he was hitting his mid-range jumpers and getting to his spots in the third, but in the fourth quarter, he took zero shots. That’s really just inexcusable from your best player.
I’d rather watch Jimmy go out shooting, rather than passing every single possession because he’s a great player and he knows that he is great. In hostile games like that, the best way to give your team confidence is to show them that you can put the ball in the net, which allows them to fall in and follow your lead.