For a pre-All-Star journey that was as exhausting as any title contender could’ve endured, the Miami Heat were in dire need of several days of rest going into the break. However, they remained resilient, thus earning the Eastern Conference’s highest seed.
Despite months of lineup alterations and an inability to shut the door in fourth quarters, it was shown that the Heat weren’t invulnerable. Although it’s a bit unfair for anyone to expect them to be, they’ll have a remaining 23 games or so to address their ongoing issues.
A certain area where they should look into first is their substandard transition play.
MIAMI HEAT YEAR-TO-YEAR METRICS (FASTBREAK POINTS)
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- 2021-22 (First 59 games): 10.5 points (22nd overall)
- 2020-21: 11.9 points (16th overall)
- 2019-20: 11.3 points (24th overall)
Typically, it should be understood that Erik Spoelstra-led teams are subject to a Grind It Out offense and this year hasn’t fallen from irregularity.
Before the 2021-22 season began though, there was hope that Miami would’ve greatly improved their pace after signing Kyle Lowry but even after adding a renowned tempo-pushing guard, there isn’t a noticeable change in comparison to recent seasons — at least not analytically.