One key for Heat’s best start since Big 3 era? Miami is finally beating up on bad teams.
It was the second game in a row the Miami Heat went through the routine. The Heat built a massive early lead and sort of let the opponent crawl back in during the second half. There was never a real threat of Miami blowing its entire 27-point lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, but it got dicey enough for the Heat to spend some time thinking about it.
“We’ve just got to get better after the first half, just keep that same intensity we had in the beginning. That’s pretty much it,” post player Bam Adebayo said inside the visitors’ locker room at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse after the 108-97 win Thursday. “I feel like when you get big leads like that, you tend to relax.”
It’s the sort of nit Miami had to pick after another lopsided win. The Heat (8-3) is off to its best start since the Big 3 and pretty much everything has gone right on the court in the last week. Miami has matched up against two non-playoff teams from last season and really had no issues. Two days before the 11-point win in Cleveland, the Heat beat the Detroit Pistons by nine in Miami and never trailed.
It is arguably the biggest reason for the Heat’s turnaround from last season. So far this season, Miami is 5-0 against teams currently with losing records and 3-3 against all others. The Heat is beating those sub-.500 teams by an average of 10.8 a night, and usually the games aren’t as close as the final score indicates.
The past two games have been prime examples, and Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans will be another opportunity. The Pelicans (3-8) bring the second-worst record in the Western Conference to AmericanAirlines Arena at 8 p.m. as Miami tries to build on its best start since 2013.
Saturday won’t be the end of those opportunities, either. The Heat faces the Cavaliers again at home Wednesday, then travels to face the Chicago Bulls next Friday.
On Tuesday, the Heat did it without point forward Justise Winslow and wing Tyler Herro. On Thursday, Miami did it without Winslow again.
“We found a way to win,” star wing Jimmy Butler said. “Every win counts, especially on the road. We did what we came here to win.”
The turnaround against losing teams has been one of the biggest differences for the Heat compared to a year ago. Last season, Miami finished two games out of the playoffs, largely because of a 22-14 record against teams with losing records.
No team which finished ahead of the Heat in the final standings had fewer wins against sub-.500 teams. Miami went 0-2 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Most egregiously, the Heat went 1-3 against the Atlanta Hawks, who finished last in the Southeast Division.
This is partially the product of an overall turnaround for Miami. The Heat has jumped from 17th in assists per game last season to fifth this season. Miami’s three-point percentage has spiked from 21st to fifth.
The Heat is simply a far superior team now and it is doing what it’s supposed to do against teams like these.
“Win by one, win by 20,” Butler said. “It goes in the same column.”
