The stunning numbers since Spoelstra’s best decision of 2022, as Heat looks to go up 3-0
With Max Strus — the 6-foot-5 lucky charm — on board, the Heat took flight for Georgia on Thursday afternoon holding a 2-0 lead in this first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks and riding the momentum of something that seems almost unfathomable for any NBA team to have in late April:
An undefeated starting lineup.
The group expected to take the floor Friday for the opening tip of Game 3 of this Heat-Hawks first-round playoff series hasn’t only been good. It has been, in some ways, perfect.
With Strus starting, the Heat is 16-2.
With this starting five of Strus, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker, the Heat is 5-0.
This precise current starting lineup and rotation — including a bench of Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Dwayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent and, when needed, Caleb Martin — has never left the floor on the losing end of a result.
Since coach Erik Spoelstra inserted Strus into the starting group on March 28 against Sacramento, Miami’s only loss in nine games was the meaningless season finale in Orlando, when Strus and many of the rotation players sat out.
And the numbers produced by this starting quintet, albeit in a relatively small sample size, are mind-blowing.
In 72 minutes on the court together, the Butler/Adebayo/Lowry/Tucker/Strus lineup has outscored teams 192-159, including 50-30 in 21 minutes of this playoff series.
That starting five is shooting an absurd 56.6 percent on three-pointers (30 for 53) when on the court together this season, the highest shooting percentage for any NBA lineup that has played at least 50 minutes in 2021-22.
“I feel like Max stepped into a role and adapted to how we play,” Adebayo said Thursday. “He’s one of those guys that he can have 16 [points in a quarter], like we’ve seen with Toronto in the fourth. Just having that type of guy on the floor that draws that much attention, it just helps for me and Jimmy for spacing.”
In this series, this Heat starting group is shooting 9 for 14 on threes when it is on the floor together, compared with 2 for 17 for Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young.
This Heat starting five is shooting 56.8 percent overall since Spoelstra went to this lineup, while averaging 128 points per 48 minutes.
The Heat’s new starting lineup is “embracing one another, being on the floor together,” Herro said. “It’s a very talented group, those five guys. There are multiple things they can do to hurt you on both sides of the floor. That’s a great unit.”
Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Strus has made a big difference.
“He’s a weapon,” McMillan said. “He has size. He’s basically following the path of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. From the summer league, where he started out, to earning a position in that starting lineup as a weapon with that starting unit. He’s a guy that has the green light. Call them lasers [Strus, Robinson, Herro]. He’s a laser shooter.”
Strus is Miami’s third-leading scorer in this series at 11.5 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting.
Aside from this new starting group’s win in a late-season game in Boston, Friday’s Game 3 represents their most difficult test yet. Atlanta is 20-3 in its past 23 home games, and the Hawks will be a desperate team in Game 3 (7 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Sun).
“We understand that they’re going to play better at home,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “They’re going to be more energetic at home. But we’ve just got to stay patient, stay poised,... stick with the game plan and do our jobs. Try to win a basketball game on the road; we’ve done it pretty much all year.”
The Heat, Bucks, Raptors and Nets all went 24-17 on road; only Philadelphia was better on the road (27-14) among Eastern Conference teams.
The Hawks, deficient defensively for much of this season, have done two things uncharacteristic of them in this series.
They have committed 37 turnovers in two games (leading to 38 Heat points) after averaging a league-low 12.0 turnovers per game in the regular season.
And they’ve shot 28.9 percent on three-pointers (22 for 76) after finishing second best in the league (behind Miami) in three point accuracy this season at 37.3.
If Atlanta can get back to its regular-season form in those two areas, this could still be a competitive series.
“We’re ready to get back home and get back to work,” said Young, who has committed 16 turnovers in the series and has averaged 16.5 points, well below his 28.4 season average. “Game 3 is going to be loud; it’s going to be fun. We’ve got to take care of home. That’s all we’ve got to do.”
The Heat is well aware that eighth-seeded New Orleans won a game at top-seeded Phoenix this week and that nothing can be assumed.
“Last time they played [at home, the Hawks] put up 132 on Charlotte in a pressure-packed game,” Spoelstra said. “They win a lot of games there, particularly the last three months. It will be comfortable for them in front of their fans. We’ll have to exceed that level of urgency and edge.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 2:31 PM.
