4️⃣ A struggling offense in the 4th
Despite a 3-1 week, the Heat lost the fourth quarters by a combined 32 points. They almost collapsed in Charlotte, did so against the Bulls in Miami and needed a buzzer-beater from Jimmy Butler to beat Chicago two nights after. But what exactly makes the Heat struggle offensively in the last quarter of games?
(On Monday night, they ended up losing to the Timberwolves after leading by as many as 17 points because they were outscored 35-25 in the fourth quarter.)
We can start with their decision making. Not taking advantage of mismatches, taking too much time to figure out things and being set on an idea despite what the defense is giving.
In the first clip, Lowry comes to screen for Jimmy Butler, but he decides to attack the other way, rejecting the screen and getting himself to where the Hornets have more defenders. Hesitates, loses control of the ball and picks up a turnover.
Same thing in the second clip. Rejects the screen, attacks the most populated spot and loses control of the ball when the help comes, ending up with a tough, contested jumper.
The third clip has Caleb Martin attacking DeRozan quickly off the catch, but goes back despite getting out of balance. He dribbles incessantly until he finds Butler matched up with Nikola Vucevic. With space to attack the baseline but five seconds on the clock, he opts for an outside shot with no momentum and a big man on him.
In the last clip, Butler decides to attack the mismatch with Vucevic with the Bulls rotating. Caleb Martin get the ball and dribbles in the direction of the Bulls defense, losing his footing and travelling.
Remember the Knicks game? I know, I know, you don't want to. But for context purposes, I mentioned how the Heat got into every action late, resulting in a bad shot. And Spoelstra mentioned that too, so the Heat started to be more decisive in their actions and not wait for everything to come to them. The problem is that started doing quite the opposite, going way too fast when the game is turning bad for them.
In the first clip, Richardson gets the pick from Orlando Robinson but doesn't take anything from it. He sees the defender staying under the screen and settles for a long mid-range shot after dribbling in the same area for a few seconds, still early in the shot clock.
In the second clip, the Hornets are in a 2-3 zone. Richardson finds Lowry who returns the ball to Richardson. He decides to take a three with the defender close, with 14 seconds on the clock and with the Heat not getting any advantage from the zone.
Next, a high pick and roll and re-pick from Thomas Bryant, with Lowry pulling up for a long outside shot with 15 on the shot clock, with the Bulls in front by five.
And finally, Caleb Martin, attacking early against a set Bulls defense off a defensive rebound. He tries to go against two defenders, ending up with his shot blocked out of bounds and some teammates still arriving to the offensive possession.