A look at the new lineup the Heat used to close, win Game 1 vs. Pacers. And why it worked
Which lineup did Erik Spoelstra turn to with the Miami Heat ahead by just two points with 7:57 to play in Game 1 of its first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers?
A five-man lineup that played zero minutes together in the regular season, according to NBA Advanced Stats.
The move worked.
The Heat used a lineup of Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo to close Tuesday’s Game 1 win over the Pacers. This five-man group played the final 7:57 of the game, turning a two-point lead into a 12-point win.
“Basketball is easy,” Butler said, with the Heat carrying its 1-0 series lead over the Pacers into Game 2 on Thursday at 1 p.m. “Just because it’s a lineup that we haven’t played before doesn’t mean that those five guys don’t know how to play together.”
This five-man combination proved that, posting a plus/minus of plus-10 during during the final eight minutes of Tuesday’s win to take control of the game. It was the Heat’s most effective Game 1 lineup in terms of plus/minus.
“The fourth quarter, they did a better job of executing.” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said.
The Dragic-Herro-Butler-Iguodala-Adebayo lineup was very efficient offensively in its first minutes of the season together, scoring 24 points while shooting 9 of 14 from the field and 4 of 7 on threes down the stretch of Game 1. But this group was also effective defensively, limiting the Pacers to just 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field in eight minutes.
“I wasn’t worried about it, because in the playoffs anything happens,” Adebayo said of closing Tuesday’s playoff win as part of a lineup that had not played together before. “I feel like Spo did a great job of getting adjusted. And at that point, we got to get it together. So we’ve got to come as a unit and figure it out. We were figuring it out and it was clicking for us.”
Why did this lineup work so well in Game 1?
Butler and Dragic were ridiculously hot in the fourth quarter. The duo combined for 22 of the Heat’s 24 points during the final eight minutes of the game.
Butler scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting during this span, including 2-of-2 shooting on pull-up threes. He made just 7 of 38 pull-up threes in the regular season.
Dragic scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting during this stretch, recording 21 of his 24 points in the second half.
“Either Goran was making plays in the first six minutes of the [fourth] quarter or it was Jimmy with the ball making plays down the stretch,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what you want. You want your most experienced veteran players with the ball in their hands making those decisions and they did that tonight.”
Second, it’s a balanced lineup that includes experienced veterans in Butler, Dragic and Iguodala, and talented youth Spoelstra trusts in Adebayo and Herro. Dragic, Herro and Iguodala played the entire fourth quarter in Game 1.
Besides Butler and Dragic, Herro was the only Heat player who scored during Miami’s 24-14 run to close the game. The rookie made a turnaround fadeaway jumper with 5:46 to play, finishing his first NBA playoff game with 15 points in 34 minutes.
Then there’s the defensive trio of Adebayo, Butler and Iguodala. All three players can switch onto multiple positions, making up for some of the defensive shortcomings of Dragic and Herro.
With Adebayo, Butler and Iguodala on the court Tuesday, the Pacers scored 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting in nine minutes.
“I think everybody knows where the ball has to be and where the ball needs to go,” Butler said of playing alongside Adebayo, Dragic, Herro and Iguodala late in Game 1. “Everybody’s comfortable with anybody taking any shot. And then you’ve got a mix of great offensive players, great defensive players, decision-makers, shooting, all of the above. I like that lineup.”
But that does not mean this is now the Heat’s closing lineup moving forward. The strength of Miami’s roster is it’s full of interchangeable options.
Spoelstra could turn to this group to close more games in this series or the late-game lineup could look a little different.
Jae Crowder instead of Iguodala? Duncan Robinson instead of Herro? Those are just two players who will likely see crunch-time minutes at some point.
“It’s a collective unit. The five out there, we don’t care who scores,” Adebayo said. “That’s the big thing I like about this team, we don’t care who scores. As long as we win at the end of the day, that’s all we worry about.”
GAME 2 INJURY REPORT
On Wednesday’s injury report for Game 2, the Heat listed Crowder (sprained left ankle) as questionable. Crowder finished Game 1 with eight points and five rebounds in 25 minutes, but he did not play in the fourth quarter.
Miami remains without rookies KZ Okpala (personal reasons) and Gabe Vincent (right shoulder sprain) for Thursday’s game.
The Pacers listed guard Victor Oladipo (left eye contusion) as questionable for Game 2, with Oladipo saying Wednesday that “I’m feeling better. I’m seeing better.” Indiana remains without All-Star center Domantas Sabonis (left foot plantar fasciitis) and wing Jeremy Lamb (torn left ACL).
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 10:45 AM.
