Heat in 5: An open letter to Kyle Lowry, full-court Love, 4th quarter woes, and more

With four games against two opponents last week, the Heat finished that stint with a 3-1 record. We go over what happened, with a focus on Kyle Lowry's effort, Kevin Love's outlet passes and the continued struggles in the fourth quarter.

Charlotte Hornets v Miami Heat
Charlotte Hornets v Miami Heat | Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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Kevin Love, Ish Smith
Miami Heat v Charlotte Hornets | Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages

2️⃣ Kevin Love, outlet passer

It's been written and re-written, but Kevin Love has sparked the Heat offense by getting it going earlier after rebounds or even steals. Always looking in front, Love tries to find a teammate quickly and initiate a potential transition opportunity off a miss. And that's what he did last week, consistently finding an open man who could go early and get some easy points. The Heat's offensive rating goes up by almost 14 points with Love in instead of on the bench and these outlets are a good way to collect points.

Notice how the Heat's wings (Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Jimmy Butler) quickly look to go deep instead of staying and getting the ball from Love's hands. They know that, as soon as Love as his position controlled for a rebound or secures the ball off a turnover, he will be looking ahead. And with that space, their ability to catch and attack the basket will usually result in easy points.

In the last four games, the Heat have gotten eleven shots off within five seconds of a Kevin Love defensive rebound or steal for eighteen points, plus three fouls. That seriously shows how much offense Miami can produce after Love guarantees a new possession for the Heat.

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