As the NBA Playoffs march along and Miami Heat fans are forced to watch others contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy, the Heat can also learn lessons along the way.
We previously looked at how Miami could mimic the Indiana Pacers' roster construction. After watching Oklahoma City go up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals, the Heat could also learn a key lesson from the Thunder.
It's just not in the area that one immediately thinks of when they think of OKC.
The Thunder push the ball in a way the Heat do not
When one thinks of the Thunder, they probably think of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And when one thinks of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they probably think of a dead fish flopping around trying to bait the refs into calling a foul.
And while there is a hint of truth to SGA being a free throw merchant, the Thunder as a whole were just 26th in free throw attempts per game during the regular season.
If you are keeping score at home, Miami was 27th, and when you compare the offensive profile of the two teams, there are several similarities.
OKC attempted 38 threes per game, while Miami attempted 37. OKC had the fewest turnovers in the NBA, but Miami wasn't terrible in this category and was eighth. Both teams averaged 26 assists per game.
There are some deeper stats, too, that align, such as both teams having similar profiles regarding the number of catch-and-shoot attempts per game (42 for OKC and 40.7 for Miami, both midpack).
And yet Oklahoma City led the NBA with 120.5 points per game, while Miami was saddled down in 20th with 110.6 points per game.
So what gives?
Miami needs to push the pace more often
Oklahoma City is attempting 18.8 transition field goals per game during the playoffs, the best of all playoff teams.
During their series against Cleveland, the Heat averaged just 11.5 transition attempts per game, the lowest of all playoff teams.
The frustrating part is that when Miami pushed the pace, they were effective at it and scored 60.9% of attempts, which was the third best in the playoffs.
Having to constantly inbound the ball after a made basket against Cleveland contributed to the lack of transition chances, but it's not like the Heat were a team that liked to push the ball during the season, either.
During the regular season, Miami was midpack in steals per game, and yet the Heat tied with the Magic for the 4th fewest transition attempts even though Miami tied for 6th in points per transition attempt.
Translation: Miami doesn't push the ball up the court enough, even though they tend to be effective when they do.
It's part of why Miami keeps getting linked in the NBA Draft to a point guard who can drive and distribute to allow Tyler Herro to move to a true shooting guard role.