Sometimes you have to stop overthinking things. And that's the one big adjustment that Erik Spoelstra made as the Miami Heat cruised to their first win of the season, beating the Atlanta Hawks 129-117.
The simple, yet effective, adjustment was this: bring back the pick-and-roll, with Giannis Antetokounmpo embracing being the roll man. It also included Giannis settling into the dunker spot more on offense when the ball isn't in his hands.
Two things happened with this adjustment against the Hawks: Giannis was able to feast on the glass (he finished with 18 rebounds, five of them being offensive), and Bam Adebayo was able to settle into his comfort spots on offense; that ultimately helped him break out of his early-season offensive slump.
The Heat looked like a completely different team, with both Bam and Giannis adjusting their games
That all culminated in a dominant win for the Heat, with, for the first time this season, both Bam and Giannis looking like their normal selves in the win. Giannis finished with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and three assists on 11-for-18 shooting from the field, and Bam tallied 24 points, nine rebounds, and three assists on 8-for-16 shooting.
Andrew Wiggins also chipped in with 18 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the 3-point range, with Davion Mitchell still being the rim-pressure guard he's been through the first four games. He finished with 10 points and 10 assists.
Pelle Larsson was one of the true dark horses during the game, as he added 17 points, eight assists, and six rebounds off the bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bobby Portis also chipped in 14 and 11, respectively.
From an offensive perspective, this is the blueprint that many Heat fans expected before the start of the season. It's amazing how good the Heat can look when their players play up to their potential, and that's exactly what we saw last night in Atlanta.
Can the Heat build on a big win in Atlanta?
And it all started with this simple adjustment from Spoelstra, Giannis, and Bam.
The Heat's defense still had its bright and low moments against the Hawks, and Atlanta was still 42 percent from the 3-point range, but Miami did look like a completely different team, especially on offense, compared to the one they looked like through the first four games of the season.
Getting their first win of the season, this is certainly a blueprint that Miami will be looking to replicate heading into their next few games. Whether or not they'll be able to do so remains to be seen, but if you're going to blame Spoelstra for the first four games, where the offense looked faint, you have to give him credit when it bounces back.
Against the Hawks, that's exactly what we saw. Now it's time for the Heat to do it again.
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