It's not the test that the NBA Playoffs will represent, but the Miami Heat and Erik Spoelstra's new-look offense's viability will certainly be challenged in the NBA Cup Tournament knockout round. The Heat officially clinched their spot in the quarterfinals thanks to a Cleveland Cavaliers loss Friday night.
The Heat are scheduled to take on the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 9 at 6:00 p.m. This is the first time in three years that Miami has advanced beyond the group stage in the NBA Cup.
The winner of the game between the Heat and Magic will advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas.
The Heat's offense will prove its sustainability
Especially now that we're at the 20-game mark of the season, we're getting to the point where we have a large enough sample size where we can start making some declarative proclamations about the Heat's new offense.
While it's certainly passed the eye test through the first month of the season, it will be interesting to see how it performs in a one-game sample with stakes attached to it.
Again, the NBA Cup knockout round is not the playoffs by any means, but there is slightly more meaning to each minute and possession.
It will be good to see how different the Heat's offense looks when the overall game slows down in such tense moments.
On the one hand, we could see the true flaws of this new-look approach from the Heat's offense. Or, we could see the true sustainability power of what Spo has created in his lab. Either way, we should get much more clarity about this offense overall.
It will be great to see it all play out.
The Heat's recent offensive struggles
Before the Heat even get a shot to prove themselves in a knockout setting, they have plenty of concerns to answer in the meantime.
With two underwhelming performances in back-to-back games, there are natural questions about where this team is heading. The return of Tyler Herro has th team in the midst of some real growing pains, and while they're not all that surprising, it's certainly not ideal by any means.
At the very least, it's something to keep a close eye on heading into the next few games. At worst, it could be a trend that forces Spo to change things up in the rotation.
The Heat have been largely impressive through the first month of the season, but this is still a team that has plenty to prove - especially on the offensive end of the floor.