How the Cavaliers helped fuel big changes to Heat offense: ‘We needed to do some things better’
The story behind the Miami Heat’s revamped offense begins with last season’s humiliating first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat scored more than 100 points just once during that sweep out of the playoffs in April. Cleveland outscored Miami by 122 points in the four games for the most lopsided playoff series in NBA history after the Heat became the first 10th-place team in either conference to make the playoffs from the league’s play-in tournament since this current play-in format was first instituted for the 2020-21 season.
“It was a very painful and embarrassing first-round loss,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, recently reflecting on that historically bad exit from the first round of the playoffs. “We had done a lot emotionally to earn that ticket to get into the playoffs. We felt really proud about that. We played a lot of back-to-back games on the road to earn that ticket, and then it was just embarrassing.
“You have to credit Cleveland with that. So that sparked a lot of thought that we needed to do some things better and differently.”
The Heat’s offense has definitely been different this season.
Ahead of facing the Cavaliers in back-to-back games on Monday and Wednesday at Kaseya Center for the first time since that lopsided first-round playoff series, the Heat entered Monday averaging the second-most points per game (124.1) in the NBA while playing at the league’s fastest pace (107 possessions per 48 minutes) through the first three weeks of this season. Miami also began Monday with the NBA’s 13th-ranked offensive rating this season.
This is a big change from recent seasons, as the Heat has been one of the five slowest-paced teams in the NBA in each of the past six regular seasons and has also never finished the regular season as a top-15 team in pace through Spoelstra’s first 17 seasons as the Heat’s head coach. The Heat has also finished with one of the NBA’s 10 worst offensive ratings in each of the last three seasons.
“I think it for sure has something to do with Cleveland,” Heat forward Nikola Jovic said when asked about the drastic shift in the team’s offensive approach. “I wouldn’t say everything, but I think it was something where you’re like we lost so bad, in such a bad way that we have to change something. The team hasn’t changed a lot. So I guess he knew we had a similar team and changed how we play.”
Heat guard Pelle Larsson agrees with Jovic.
“I think those four games [in the first round of the playoffs last season], it’s just kind of a product of the whole season sometimes,” Larsson said. “I mean every year you want to get better, so [the coaches] definitely spent a lot of time probably rewatching maybe too many times those games. But yeah, you’re just trying to grow. I feel like this year the changes are a sign of the result from last year.”
Entering Monday, the Heat has already scored 120 or more points in seven of its first 10 games this season. For perspective, the Denver Nuggets are the only other team in the NBA with seven or more 120-point games this season.
Last regular season, the Heat ranked 20th in the league with only 20 such games.
“We just want our players to rally around whatever the system,” Spoelstra said. “Our players feel confident that this fits and that it will trend better as the season goes on. Once the guys get more comfortable and confident, and we get everybody back. That’s really it.”
All the while, last season’s painful playoff lessons at the hands of the Cavaliers remain fresh in Heat players’ minds.
“You never want to lose like that,” Jovic said. “It was embarrassing.”
So, yes, there will be some extra motivation entering Monday and Wednesday’s matchups against the Cavaliers after the way last season ended for the Heat. Even with some new faces on both sides, there are enough returning players for some Heat players to have flashbacks of what happened just a few months ago.
“I’m sure when we start seeing that logo more, scouting and stuff for them, it’s going to bring back some memories,” Larsson said before Monday’s game against Cleveland. “It’s just going to get us amped up.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 11:03 AM.
