The Miami Heat’s season has been an interesting one to watch from the start all the way to now. Guys have been in and out, while they’ve pulled off some incredible wins alongside some head-scratching losses as well.
One thing that has stayed consistent though is that when the top competition rolls around, they’re up for the fight. Now, they faced off against the best team in the NBA on Wednesday, that being the Phoenix Suns, and everyone knew it was going to be a battle.
The first half was competitive and entertaining to watch, but after that, we saw something that no other team has really done to the Heat.
They flipped a switch and completely took over.
Miami lost the game,111-90. A blowout, it was made even more confusing by the fact that it seemed like it was going to be a great matchup for both teams.
Even in the recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, that felt like a game where the Heat beat themselves rather than Milwaukee outplaying them. This Suns game felt like something different.
Yes, the Heat were missing Jimmy Butler but the way Phoenix was able to switch from being a good team to championship-caliber in a moment was, to be quite frank, a little frightening.
Coming out the second half, viewers saw Phoenix come out and dominate every facet of the game. It’s easy to say Jimmy would’ve helped stop that, but instead of piling excuses on top of the loss, this could serve as a teachable moment.
Miami Heat: Blowout Defeat To Suns Serves Several Important Purposes
When a team is able to do a complete 180 like that and make things difficult, the players and coaching staff need to be prepared to adapt and run other sets or actions. We saw Miami get Duncan Robinson and other players going with handoffs and three-point shots off screens but in the second half, Phoenix was ready to switch any and everything.
The Miami Heat kept forcing it though, eventually leading to players just standing around and watching Bam Adebayo fake handoffs. The offense became stagnant while watching players isolate against Phoenix.
Against the second-best defense in the NBA, not only isn’t that any fun to watch, but it won’t get you back in the ball game either.
At the end of the first half, Kyle Lowry had seven assists but finished with 10 total, which is shocking given the huge dropoff in the second half. There were moments where Lowry would just be standing on the wing watching the offense play out and that is not how Miami wins ball games.
When Lowry was assertive and actually looking to create, the offense would come to life, such as the Lowry-Bam pick and roll. It’s a simple play, but when you run the same sets or take plays off, you make it easier for a smart and tenacious team like Phoenix to take advantage.
That’s just what they did.
Miami Heat: Adaptive Development The Only Thought After A Game Like That
The lack of offense in the second half is not the end of the world. Every team, now and then, has a dropoff in shooting coming out the half.
However, there were easier looks that were generated in the first half and they were nowhere to be found in the second. That should and will be noted by the team.
With Butler, the offense will be fleshed out more, but you never want to be too predictable on offense against the best team in the NBA, no matter who is or isn’t playing. You can’t just stand around and wait for something to happen, you have to make it happen.
As far as the defense goes, it shouldn’t be critiqued without Jimmy, because the defense they run without Jimmy is just incomplete. Without him, it doesn’t hit its full potential but you can say that I’m not a fan of Adebayo switching onto Devin Booker while P.J. Tucker covers Deandre Ayton.
It’s a similar fate that occurred in the previous season against Phoenix when they switched a smaller player onto Ayton, leading to double-digit losses as well. This year, they do have the personnel, but I don’t think that game plan works in Miami’s favor.
There are just too many playmakers and shooters for Phoenix that can manipulate Miami’s defense. Again, it’s probably unfair to judge the defense without Butler but the lack of effort on rotations and defensive rebounding were things that Miami could have controlled.
The total was 55 to 38 on the glass, which won’t win you games and when a team like Phoenix can hit that next gear, the effort and energy of the Miami Heat must reach that level as well. It’s easy to excuse this game and say “it’s not your night”, but you can learn from every loss.
With the way Phoenix outplayed them, instead of hanging your head, figure out how you can grow and create new schemes. If there’s a chance the team meets Phoenix in the NBA Finals, you have a response for when they hit that switch.
Hopefully, we can see both teams match up in then, a stage where you get a high likelihood of seeing them play their best brand of basketball.