MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 134-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers:
– Perhaps Henry Wadsworth Longfellow best summed up the Heat’s season to this point.
– At least when he crafted his poem, “There was a little girl.”
– “When she was good, she was very good indeed.”
– “But when she was bad she was horrid.”
– So games such as Monday night’s no-show in Boston.
– And then this on Wednesday night, when the Heat made it look like a Lakers no-show.
– When the 3-point shots are falling and the defense can do what was done to Anthony Davis on this night, the Heat can be very good indeed.
– But also too many nights that lead to the type of losses such as the one Sunday night in Toronto.
– The constant to this point has been the offense of Tyler Herro.
– That did not change in this one.
– With Bam Adebayo coming up big early.
– And with Jimmy Butler energizing.
– When those three are doing that, “very good indeed” indeed is a possibility.
– Or perhaps the Lakers, when bad, simply are horrid.
– With all due respect to LeBron James.
– Because the Lakers’ defense was, well . . . clueless?
– With Butler back after missing Monday in Boston with a knee issue, the Heat returned to a starting lineup of Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson.
– Terry Rozier was first off the Heat bench.
– Jaime Jaquez and Kevin Love then followed together.
– With Pelle Larsson making it nine deep.
-– It stayed that way until Dru Smith was added to the mix at the start of the fourth quarter, as the starters sat.
– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked pregame about the decision to send 2024 first-round pick Kel’el Ware to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
– “The next logical thing,” Spoelstra said of the G League move, “is to try and get him some time, get him some game minutes and see how he can impact winning. I’m encouraged by the work he’s putting in.”
– With Love back and Nikola Jovic available, it reduced the potential need for Ware.
– Love had been out due to back spasms.
– Jovic had been out due to an ankle sprain.
– Jovic said before the game he no longer needed his protect mask for his broken nose.
– Herro extended his streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 54, 15 games off Robinson’s Heat record.
– And just kept on going.
– In addition, Herro’s third assist moved him past Kevin Edwards for 11th on the Heat all-time list.
– Also, the double-double was the 201st of Adebayo’s career. Only Rony Seikaly (221) and Alonzo Mourning (205) have had more with the Heat.
– There was a warm but muted ovation for former Heat guard Gabe Vincent when he entered in the first quarter, his first appearance at Kaseya Center since leaving in 2023 free agency. He missed the Lakers’ visit last season due to a knee issue.
– Spoelstra spoke during his pregame media session of how LeBron James not only stood as an example for his team 10 years ago, but how the dedicated approach could have James, 39, in the league another 10 if he wanted.
– “Yeah, I mean, I can’t even say it’s a surprise because he was so detailed at 26, that doesn’t change as you get older, the details of winning matters to him,” Spoelstra said. “You know, I just wish that I could have had all of our young players watch him in the team meetings, you know, every locker and film session, and every franchise is probably saying the same thing – need to communicate, need to be present in these sessions.”
– Spoelstra added, “And LeBron is not fatigued at all in terms of preparation and being involved in all of that, noticing things on film and being an active participant in that, and you want young players to see that.”
– Spoelstra said he was looking at this four-game homestand as four distinct games.
– “We can’t play all these games right now, tonight,” he said.
– Asked about the Lakers’ plans to erect a statue of Riley at their arena, Spoelstra said, “He’s a rock and that’s why he’s the Godfather, that’s why we all kill ourselves for this Culture and it is because we believe in it.”
– Asked about going against Adebayo, Lakers coach JJ Redick was effusive, “Bam is a tier-one, All-Defensive defender, and you need to know what he’s doing, what his coverages are, how he’s helping, where he’s helping from. Is he lifted? Is he low? All of those things, and you have to be mindful about your play calls and your your structure around that.”
Originally Published: December 4, 2024 at 9:49 PM EST
