The Miami Heat came out and did something they haven’t been able to do all year long in their latest contest. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coming into the game unsure of if Jimmy Butler would be able to play, just two nights after missing the last contest that was the obliteration at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, it was good to see him in the lineup for this one.
To get right to it, Jimmy and Bam Adebayo did exactly what they were supposed to do on Friday night against a team that the Miami Heat have been unable to beat all season. Butler would finish the game with 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Bam Adebayo would close the contest with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and one dime of his own. 0-2 in their previous matchups, the Miami Heat‘s best two players came out and absolutely dominated the floor.
Bam Adebayo‘s performance was an all-game-long affair, while Jimmy Butler really didn’t explode until the second half. It all really makes you think about something.
The Miami Heat’s sheer physical dominance is what separates them from most teams and their best players.
The Miami Heat needed a W over Cleveland this year, having dropped their two prior games to them. They got it too on Friday, behind Bam Adebayo’s 30 and 18.
While it’s so Miami Heat of these two, there are the teams that have more dynamic scorers or more flashy playmakers—but no team has two players that are as good at simply physically imposing their will when they have their minds set on it.
Ok, perhaps there are one or two out there, maybe but again, when they have their minds set on it, it’s harder to find two guys on the same team that can simply maul you with contact and physicality the way that Jimmy and Bam do.
Jimmy Butler succeeds by throwing his body around, absorbing contact, and all while also excelling at finishing through that contact. That, not only, goes for easy two-pointers but on the way to a bunch of points at the line(providing they can MAKE THEIR FREE ONES!).
Bam Adebayo is at his best when he’s driving hard to the cup, boxing out the world for rebounds, and dunking on the heads of the opposition.
This Herro/Bam connection is too pretty.
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Quite literally though—dunking on their heads. The team is at its best when those two guys are at their best and it’s really that simple.
They are also at their peaks as a team when they decide to take away easy offense and work on the defensive side of the ball, as they did in the second half of the contest to run away with it. Things got kind of close late, but then they regrouped and proceeded to salt this one away.
You also can’t forget about Tyler Herro and what he’s done all year long, scoring 22 points on the night. Max Strus also had a really good night, going for 17 on 5-11 from deep.
They’ll get some rest tonight before doing it all over again on Saturday. Part one of the Retribution Duo was done correctly, now the Timberwolves await on Saturday, coming off a defeat to the Heat’s in-state brethren, Orlando Magic.