After losing Game 1, the Miami Heat looked to bounce back against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2. Miami jumped off to a 10-2 start in the opening minutes of Game 2. The three-pointers were falling for Miami this time around after missing a lot of them in Game 1. Denver then responded with a huge run in the second period and led by as many as 15 points. However, Miami continued to push back and trimmed the lead to single digits. In the fourth quarter, they took the lead and never looked back. With the win, Miami ties the series 1-1. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s win over Denver.

Game 2 Adjustments

In order to steal Game 2, Miami needed to make adjustments from Game 1. Denver’s size gave Miami plenty of problems in the first game. So, what did Miami do? They started Kevin Love and moved Caleb Martin to the bench. The move paid dividends on both ends. Love’s positional defense, passing, and shooting worked out well in the starting unit. Additionally, Miami made adjustments on the defensive end as well. They limited their doubles on Nikola Jokic and denied the cuts to the basket. Jokic still dominated the game in scoring but Miami made sure to limit the other guys. And that’s exactly what happened. Jokic finished the night with 41 points and four assists. Denver is 0-3 this postseason when Jokic scores 40 plus points.

Gabe And Strus set the Tone

The Heat’s two-tone setters in Game 2 were Gabe Vincent and Max Strus. After shooting 0-10 in Game 1, Strus came into Game 2 ready. He knocked down his first three-pointer in the opening minutes of the game. We all saw how open the looks were in Game 1. The problem was they didn’t make the Nuggets pay. But in Game 2, Strus did it time and time again in the first period. As for Vincent, it was another solid performance from the Heat guard. Vincent did a great job maneuvering the pick and roll action. The patience he showed in the pick and roll has been quite the improvement. He was able to get to his spots without rushing his shots. Overall, the Heat’s two upcoming free agents took advantage of the open opportunities. It was a solid performance from those two.

Robinson to the Rescue

Miami entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points. Jimmy Butler started the quarter on the bench. Miami needed more offensive from other players. And who did they turn to? Duncan Robinson. Robinson knocked down a three-pointer that cut the deficit to five. Then he went back door for the and-one layup. And next came a long three-pointer that cut the lead to two points. Robinson’s play in the fourth quarter completely changed the momentum in Miami’s direction. Time after time Robinson was making good plays for Miami. And to think he wasn’t in the rotation this season. Credit to him for staying ready. Robinson finished with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown.

Cody Zeller……..

If there wasn’t a case made to cut Cody Zeller’s minutes before, there should be one now. His minutes have been bad since the Boston Celtics series. The moment Bam Adebayo sits on the bench, the momentum completely changes in the other team’s favor. Defensively, he’s a liability on that end. He’s not a shot blocker and he often struggle in other areas on that end as well. I get there needs to be another player to throw at Jokic. However, Zeller’s minutes are costing the Heat momentum. It may be time to go back to Love as the backup five. We’ll see if that changes in Game 3.

Next Up: Game 3 on Wednesday. Game tips off at 8:30pm eastern.

After a blowout win over the New York Knicks on Saturday, the Miami Heat still had to protect their homecourt in Game 4. Unlike Game 3, this one was more competitive. Both teams traded buckets in the first period, with the Heat leading 31 to 30 after the first period. The offense was really flowing for both teams. New York even shot 71 percent in the third period at some point. Despite this, Miami was able to maintain their lead for most of the second half. They ended up closing in the game with a victory. With the win, Miami moves to 3-1 for the season. Here are the takeaways from Miami’s win over New York.

More Offense from Bam Adebayo

Fans wanted more offense from Bam Adebayo? Well, they got it. Miami went to Adebayo down low a lot to start the game. Adebayo kept converting the baskets at the rim. On one play against Mitchell Robinson, Adebayo backed him in and scored the and-one basket on him. He was clearly assertive and looking for his shots. Adebayo’s teammates also did a good job of finding him. With his 15th playoff double-double, he joins Lebron James as the only Heat players with 15 plus double-doubles. A great list to be on. Overall, Adebayo was solid on both ends of the floor. He hasn’t scored over 20 points much this postseason, but his activity in other areas have been essential. Adebayo finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Heat Bench Continues to Thrive

In what has been a regular season issue, the Heat have totally flipped the script on its bench impact. As explained multiple times, the Heat have had issues maintaining their leads without Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. But yet, this postseason the Heat’s bench has done exceptionally well in their minutes without the two stars. It’s been incredible to watch the Heat’s bench progress this postseason. How have they been able to do this? Well, look no further than Kyle Lowry. Lowry has done a great job of being the stabilizer for the Heat’s offense. And to think, there were questions about his role going forward with the team after the trade deadline. Miami ended the night with 32 bench points.

Winning the Rebound Battle

The Knicks are one of the best rebounding teams in the league. They have Mitchell and Juluis Randle controlling the boards for them. And also Josh Hart, who is one of the better rebounding guards. New York may not be one of the most efficient teams but will grab offensive rebounds and capitalize on them. But yet, it was Miami owning the offensive boards on Monday night, particularly in the fourth quarter. All five players for the Heat were crashing the offensive boards. There was one possession where Miami continued to grab offensive rebounds off of their missed shots. Something you would usually see from New York. In the end, Miami outrebounded New York 44-35 on the boards.

Elimination Game

With a 3-1 series lead, the Heat have control of the series. All they need to do is win one more game and they’re back in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the previous series, Miami finished the job before Game 6. They now have the opportunity to do the same in Game 5 in New York. With their season on the line, expect a tough game from New York. Elimination games are usually the hardest ones considering the desperation from the other team. And the easy-going mood from the leading team. Miami knows what is at stake and I expect them to come out ready to finish the job.

Next up: Game 5 on Wednesday. Game tips off at 7:30pm eastern time.

After splitting two games, the Miami Heat entered Game 3 with homecourt advantage. The New York Knicks were looking to regain their homecourt advantage. However, Miami had different plans. The Heat set the tone early in the game with paint attacks and physical defense. They dominated both ends from start to finish. The Knicks made it a little interesting late in the fourth quarter, but Miami ended up sealing the victory. With the win, Miami moves to 2-1 in the series. Here are my takeaways from Miami’s victory over New York.

Butler Back

Jimmy Butler sat out the Heat’s Game 2 lost against the Knicks with his ankle injury. With five days of rest, Butler was back in action on Saturday. He clearly looked healthy and spry. He was aggressive in his paint attacks and the jumpers were falling as well. He set the tone for Miami with his early aggressiveness. Butler, however, appeared to aggravate his ankle injury after a drive to the basket in the third period. He still played through the rest of the way despite the injury. Overall, the Heat’s best player was exceptional on both ends of the floor. He even pulled off a reverse jam that didn’t count. Butler finished with 28 points.

Bam’s Physicality

Bam Adebayo‘s impact has been a constant debate among Heat fans in social media. There has been frustration over his lack of high scoring in this year’s playoffs. Especially after a dominant scoring burst in the first half of the season. Adebayo didn’t score over 20 points in Game 3 but his impact was felt. Defensively, Adebayo slowed down Julius Randle, who scored 10 points in the game. And he was doing it mostly with single coverages. He held Randle to just 2-9 shooting as the primary defender. Additionally, Adebayo attacked the glass against the Knicks 7-footers. He was literally everywhere on the floor with his impact on Saturday. Adebayo finished the day with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Non-Jimmy and Bam Minutes

When both Butler and Adebayo are not on the floor, that usually spells trouble for the Heat. There’s been multiple times this season where the Heat have lost leads with both sitting on the bench. However, Game 3 was a different story. The Heat went without both stars to start the second quarter. And Miami pushed the lead from eight to 18. Alot of that has to do with Kyle Lowry leading the second unit. Lowry got the team into their sets, fed teammates for open shots, and got to the basket. He had a nice pick and roll action with Cody Zeller during that time as well. The fact that unit pushed the lead up without their two stars was certainly encouraging. They’re going to continue to need it the rest of the way.

Poor Shooting

Even though Miami won the game by double digits, it certainly wasn’t because of their three-point shooting. As a team, Miami shot 21.9 percent from downtown. Usually, that would spell trouble for the Heat’s offense. But yet, Miami still put-up points on the board. Of course, there were timely three-pointers along the way. Still, it was certainly surprising how Miami remained ahead big despite the poor shooting. You could point to the Knicks poor three-point shooting as a reason too. Some of the shots the Knicks were taking were horrendous. But give credit to the Heat’s defense too. They certainly did their job in Game 3.

Next up: Game 4 on Monday. Game tips off at 7:30pm eastern time.

They say a series doesn’t start until the road team wins right? Well, that’s exactly what the Miami Heat did on Sunday. Despite taking down the Milwaukee Bucks in round one, the Heat still entered Sunday’s contest against the New York Knicks as underdogs. New York was without their all-star Julius Randle, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. The Knicks punished the Heat early on with 40 points in the paint. All in the first half. However, the Heat’s defensive intensity picked up and they took momentum the rest of the way. With the win, Miami takes a 1-0 series lead over New York. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s Game 1 victory.

Aggressive Gabe

Without Tyler Herro, the Heat have needed scoring from their role players. Gabe Vincent took on the challenge and more. In the first period alone, Vincent led all Heat players in shot attempts. The Heat starting guard was not shy when it came to taking shots whether it was in transition or within the halfcourt. He made five three-pointers in Game 1. With Herro down, Vincent’s aggressive and shot making was what the doctor ordered. He also did a good job of taking care of the ball with only one turnover. Overall, a solid performance from the Heat guard. In the end, Vincent finished with 20 points and five assists.

Knicks Defensive Coverages on Butler

There was a lot of talk heading into Game 1 about the Knicks defensive coverages on Jimmy Butler. Butler entered Sunday’s game having scored 98 points in the past two games. Unlike the Bucks who mostly played man defense, the Knicks coverage was very different. New York played tough on-ball defense with the help defense waiting behind. They did a solid job on Butler early on, with Butler shooting 1 of 4 to start. On each drive, there was Butler’s defender and help defenders collapsing on him. This forced him into early playmaking mode. Butler did get going later on the second half despite the Knicks defensive pressure. Unfortunately, he got injured in the fourth quarter, when he rolled his ankle after drawing a foul. Butler remained in the game but mostly as a decoy. Butler and the Heat will see how things are in the next 48 hours.

Love’s Outlet Passing

Kevin Love continues to be solid during these playoffs. There were questions about the signing when he struggled during the regular season. But now, the signing looks very good so far. Love is now shooting his three-pointers at a better percentage. He’s also become a better positional defender with his charges and his outlet passing has been huge as well. Speaking of his outlet passing, it became a big energy shifter in the third period. He first threw one to Max Strus for the layup after a key stop. A couple of plays later, he found Butler twice on the other end for two wide open dunks. With the Knicks making things tough in the halfcourt, Love getting the outlet passes going was huge for Miami. He finished the day with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.

Fourth Quarter Kyle

Usually, the fourth quarters were reserved for Butler. However, with Butler injured, it was Kyle Lowry who controlled the reins in the fourth quarter. Lowry was huge for Miami on both sides of the floor. He did a great job of settling up the offense and hitting timely shots. Defensively, he was great on that end as well. Lowry had FOUR blocks by the end of the game. Looking back at the videos it didn’t seem like blocks, but it did stop the Knicks from scoring at times. Lowry’s on-ball defense was huge on Sunday. This is the kind of performance the Heat envisioned from the guard when he signed with them in 2021. They will continue to rely on it as the playoffs continue. Lowry finished the day with 18 points, 5 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.