First Half:
Tyler Herro got Miami on the board early scoring the first seven points for the Heat. On the other end, it was Franz Wagner trying to cause issues, but Miami’s solid defense kept him in check at least temporarily. Miami’s offense was firing on all cylinders with contributions coming from Bam, and Jaquez Jr. as they played at a quick pace. Still, that didn’t stop the Magic who found success at the rim shooting 41% of its shots within three feet and sinking 66.7% of them. Herro was truly the offensive anchor for Miami to start this one, his ability to knock down tough jumpers and willingness to take those shots was missed during his absence. Cole Anthony and Co. kept things close for Orlando. Still, the Heat managed to get out of the first quarter up by one.
Cole Anthony continued to wreak havoc on Miami early into the second quarter, but the Heat reserves stayed steady with JRich getting involved. Jaime Jaquez Jr. continued to put on his best Jimmy impression, as he was a menace on defense and did most of his offensive work from Jimmy’s office. Highsmith was disruptive on defense, and going after loose balls – but otherwise appeared rusty having a hard time finding his rhythm. Bryant was effective in Love’s usual minutes, dunking nearly all of his shot attempts. In a spectacular stretch,Β Herro, Duncan, and Highsmith would jumpstart a 20-2 run for the Heat towards the end of the half putting them up 18. The Magic hit a few big buckets to breathe some life back into its team, but more threes from Duncan and J-Rich kept the Heat surging and in full control and perfect from the field for nearly 7 minutes. Miami took a comfortable 18-point lead into the second half.
Second Half:
Miami’s offense stagnated to start the second half, until a much-needed Kyle three. Even with Miami not being as successful on the other end, its defense was very good frustrating Orlando. Well-timed buckets by Caleb, Jaquez Jr., and Herro got Miami rolling again (albeit with some sloppy passing) and extended the lead to 22. Herro was spectacular as he sliced up defenders on isos, and set up teammates as the primary ball handler. Even with Miami’s sudden inability to pass on target, the fact that Orlando couldn’t hit anything from beyond the arc allowed the Heat to maintain a 17-point lead.
As we know anything is possible in a Heat fourth quarter these days, but this is one lead that the Heat didn’t squander. Bam did some phenomenal work, scoring in creative ways as he showed off his footwork and speed.
On the other end, the Heat continued to play elite defense, allowing no easy buckets and keeping the Magic at a less magical 17% from deep. It wasn’t perfect though, Miami was still sloppy turning the ball over fairly often. The Magic attempted a great comeback effort closing the gap to 10, on a 16-2 lead, but it was just a little too late with Miami winning by nine. Still, these fourth quarters continue to terrify me, and I doubt I’m the only one.
***
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DID THE HEAT DODGE A BULLET, OR WHAT?
Damian Lillard is averaging 26.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7 assists in his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range. Lillard is owed $216.2 million over the next four seasons, at an average annual salary of $54.2 million. This includes $63.2 million in the 2026-27 campaign, when he will be 36+.
Tyler Herro is averaging 23.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He is shooting career highs in field goal (47 percent) and three-point percentage (41 percent).Tyler Herro is owed $120 million over the next four seasons at an average annual salary of $30 million. He will be 27 when the contract expires.
While occasionally checking box scores, I noticed that Lillard has had some really inefficient games. I am surprised his shooting % is as decent as it is.
Amen! Some people donβt understand comparable values. Lillard is obviously the better player, but would be an albatross in the long run with that contract.
I think the contract was always the reason the Heat didn’t want to overpay for Lillard, same with Zach LaVine and a lot of the other supposed superstars that might become available.
I also repeatedly said during the trade rumors that I was happy with the team as-is, and I am still one of the few voices here that doesn’t think this team needs to make a big trade to compete for a title. Maybe just a move around the edges at the deadline.
BUT
If we’re looking at stats to evaluate the value of Lillard and the needs of the Heat, maybe look at the 4th quarter stats and “clutch” stats to understand why it would have been so great to have him on this team
Great point about fourth quarter stats. Itβs almost a different game then.
Off Topic
Guys what’s going on with this site?
When I go to what is supposed to be the hothothoops home page, which I had bookmarked on my phone the home page article has articles about the Raptors game weeks ago.
I only found this page through a Google search.
What am I doing wrong here guys?
Any explanation or help here would be appreciated.
Thanks.
things change in life your here now brian go heat
The site switched from substack a while back and youβd get an error message or something other than this new site. Just bookmark this one and that should solve the issue.
one guy that doesnt fit with current team is mr brogdon.hed be a major upgrade over turtle just from a size and defensive point.if chi tears it down rather than demar whos a better player than vuc im going after that ic to body up the cheap shot artist in the finals.i think current roster provided playoff jimmy still exists could get out of the east.theres little chance current roster could beat denver w/o a real big dude.
I think Pat and co is waiting to see how well a complete or almost complete lineup would do vs top competition before they make any movement. So besides us fans “evaluating” this team were it belongs in this crucial stretch, I think the front office has its plan of “wait and see” before “moving and trading”. Tyler and Bam’s return for me was just perfect in time for the next “big” games for Riles to assess his team. I still trust the godfather. Culture at work. Go Heat!
Timing is everything…but he who hesitates is lost. Lowry isn’t enough and Bam needs help.
double rec.
i know fans are always gassed up for a trade. But I look at this Heat team, and I see no reason to make a move.
They’ve got a bunch of good young players, good vibe vets, and some solid role players. They’re in the thick of the playoff hunt, and all the top teams in the East have been eliminated by the Heat in the playoffs (recently) (multiple times).
I expect the Heat to keep the core of this squad together through the end of the season. Hopefully add a low cost vet or two at the deadline or buyout.
Don’t make a trade Tyler Jamie Bam are starting to give me Odom Butler Wade vibes
Ha, I referenced your old moniker below.
thanks! unrelated topic: how’s the blazers fanbase taking their season? one point i’d like to make Jaquez >>> Scoot ππ
25 games in does not make a career.players do get better reference our 55
i can’t speak for all blazers fan.
There’s a certain segment of extremely online Blazers fan that prefer watching this group go 6-20, as opposed to watching Dame fight for a first round upset, because they think the potential for the future is better. I obviously disagree, but I understand why they think that.
I think most fans are willing to be patient with Scoot (because what choice do we have?) and most everyone is excited about Shaedon Sharpe. At this point, I’m just glad the Blazers are better than the Pistons. Nobody is willing to call the Dame trade a disaster, but it’s pretty obvious to me that they would have been better off with Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic.
All that said, I just took my son to his first Blazers game of the season last weekend, and it was a disaster. It was against the Warriors, and Blazers fans were outnumbered. They were down by 20 in the 3rd quarter before almost coming back. And my son was bummed that he didn’t know any of the new players, and wished we had the old team back. The best thing I could tell him is that it’s a life lesson about learning to let go, because whether we like it or not, this is the team we have now, and the old squad isn’t coming back.
So yeah, that’s my life as a Blazers fan these days. That probably explains why I don’t need to see the Heat make a trade, this is good enough for me lol
How happy are Blazer fans with Chauncey Billups, Joe Cronin and Jody Allen? In my humble opinion, that team needs an enema…a fresh start.
I have been pleasantly surprised by Chauncey, I think he’s done a decent job under the circumstances. I think Cronin absolutely stinks, but I’m in the minority with that opinion.
And I think everyone thinks Jody Allen is a joke, but after refusing to sell the team to Phil Knight, I am worried the city is going to lose the Blazers when she finally decides to sell
Ayton was a mistake, but they have solid draft capital to get more good young players or use it for a good vet. They can gain more capital/players when they wake up and move Brogdan. They have some good very young players. Their fans have to hope that they evolve into the next Rockets or Thunder, but with their current management, it could just as easily go very south.
yeah, best case scenario they’re two years away from being two years away.
And if Ayton was a mistake, and Time Lord lasted about 6 games before going out for the season, they basically traded Dame for Malcom Brogden and some draft picks that are 5 years away. Basically worse than the Heat offer.
I agree on both. The egregious contract and spiteful management made the possibility of a deal DOA. But no doubt, he wouldβve been a great addition.
(This comment was in the wrong place. Meant it in response to your Lillard post and our 4th quarter woes)
lol a lot of Lillard talk today. While it would have been great to have him on the Heat, I am super happy with this Heat squad, so I’m not complaining. Especially when my other option is a 7-20 Blazers team
Ayton ain’t been dominayton, and I’m bahamian just like him. I think he needs to paired with a real pf/c to help him out because grant is more a Sf. That trade was a disaster waiting to happen with both timelord and brogdon being injury prone. That croninberger got caught up with the flashy names. Sharpe and ant look like studs, but scoot looks like trash for a number 3 pick, he is still very young at 19, so maybe Chauncey can develope him. Since he’s a hof pg, we shall see.
Yeah, I donβt think you can dismiss any young player so soon. He has some pretty horrendous numbers across the board – fg%, 3p%, assists to turnovers. But heβll likely be fine in the long run. Value as a #3 pick? Still to be determined.
Scoot has been inconsistent, but he’s shown some flashes. He’s a true point guard, and when he’s playing his best, everyone on the team is getting easy baskets, and he gets more excited about assists than buckets. Sharpe can look great at times, but you can also forget he’s out there for long stretches.
I agree that trade was a disaster, but most of the online Blazers fans are happy that they got draft picks, fantasy trade pieces, and big names. As for me, I’m just bummed that the team stinks
sir theres no wade on current roster.ty jjj bam all better that butler or odom
you could make a case that Jamie’s rookie season has been very similar to Wade. Overshadowed by two big name rookies, but clearly the hipster pick for third best. Being a role player on a veteran team instead of trying to be the savior for a crappy team. I mean, it’s unlikely that Jamie turns out to be as good as D-Wade, but D-Wade is the greatest player in Heat history and one of the best players in NBA history. There’s probably not more than a half dozen guys in the league right now that will have a career that compares to D-Wade.
Other than that, the rest of the team is probably better than the OBW year. But I won’t stand for the Lamar Odom slander, that dude could ball
not tall enough for sure not quick enough especially at pg turtle.doesnt take a philadephia lawyer to figure that out.to beat the elite (denver) gonna need more size for joker and more speed for murray
no u dont wait u have weaknesses that need to be filled size and speed
Miami’s team three point shooting is #1 in the NBA (39.4%). ο»ΏWhen it is on, it tends to conceal many sins and make up for the team’s weaknesses.
The problem with this year’s team is inconsistency. Not only game to game but quarter to quarter. This is, in large part, due to injuries and chemistry. However, the two main factors, in my opinon, are inconsistent playmaking and an inconsistent interior presence on both offense and defense.
Last night, Lowry had 3 points and 2 assists in 18 minutes. He was rested the game before, a close loss to Minnesota. Caleb Martin had 5 points and 5 rebounds last night and 2 points and 3 rebounds in the loss to Minnesota.
Solution: Trade for a consistent, two-way, starting PG and a consistent, two-way starting PF. The Heat has Lowry’s expiring contract, Caleb, Jovic and draft picks available to trade. Riley should explore all options available before the trade deadline.
GO HEAT!!!
Inconsistency can be relating to playmaking. Good point guard is like an oil in the machine. Everything runs better.
I don’t think we can get both a starting two way pg and pf this season alone, unless it’s a mega 3 or 4 team trade. So realistically we would probably have to settle for one. So I prefer a 2 way pf over the size of 6’8 that can shoot at least 34 percent from 3, any options? Also maybe we can get a 2 way pg in free agency next season, or vice versa depending what we get on trade deadline this year.
Good comments. The disparity in threes covered up some serious flaws last night. And, if Love hadnβt gotten super hot against Chicago, we would have lost that one too. There is a helter skelterness to the ball handling as the game gets into the fourth quarter, and then there are the resulting turnovers, as without help from Jimmy, and with Lowry out, our getting into our offense has only players who can handle the ball fine when offenses are free flowing, but once the defense tightens as the fourth quarter ensues, ball handlers like Caleb, JJJ, Ty, etc. are a little shakey in that role. And with a Lowry in, we play a player who offers little offensive threat and we also have another in HH(thank him for hitting some big threes last night but usually he doesnβt make that many) who also is mostly for defense.
We also have a problem with rebounding. It is the lesser of the concerns, especially if Bryant can play like last night. So, yes, it is valid that teams who have twin towers give us fits, but we have to live with that problem because getting another two way player who can also help with ball handling is more needed, in my opinion, unless we want to have perilous fourth quarters continually.
I like this proposal from Allucanheat:
Miami Heat
RECEIVE
Donovan Mitchell
John Collins
Cavs RECEIVE
Tyler Herro
Nikola Jovic
First-Round Picks In 2028 And 2030 (From Miami)
First-Round Pick In 2025 (From MIN, Via UTA)
Jazz RECEIVE
Kyle Lowry
Why the Heat do it: They use Kyle Lowryβs expiring salary to take back unwanted, long-term money in exchange for more draft capital, then flip that to Cleveland for Mitchell. It also allows the Heat to hold onto Caleb Martin.
Why the Cavs do it: To get more draft picks to help in their rebuild, especially if they donβt want to re-sign Martin after this season to a long-term contract.
Why the Jazz do it: The Jazz are reportedly already shopping Collins after acquiring him from the Hawks last summer. They could shed the two years remaining on his deal and pick up Lowry, who will come off the books but, in the meantime, can help mentor their young guards for the next few months.
I particularly like it because we keep Jaquez, who, to me, must be kept no matter what other teams may βdemandβ. If it also allows us to resign Martin, that would be icing on the cake.
I would definitely do that trade ! Get it done pat πͺ
That will work. I think Collins has underperformed because he hasn’t been with a team that can capitalize on his strengths (3-point shooting and rebounding) and cover his defensive flaws.
Mitchell will definitely work with Bam, Butler, Collins and Duncan.
Bench: JRich, Hampton, Smith, Jaquez, Caleb, Cain, Love, Highsmith, ORob, Bryant
I definitely think Collins would better reach his ceiling in the Heat system. Not only that, but another big plus is that it creates a bridge for the Heat to remain competitive after the Butler years are done, with Collins at 26 and Mitchell at 27.
Now weβre talking. We might get a ring if that happened. I donβt think perfect trades like that seem to fall to us anymore. I wish.
Me too. It works on so many levels. And it honestly works for the other 2 teams as well.
quality win against good opponent. Bam is not there yet, but Herro is realy good right now.
your boy kyle wasnt either and pretty much hasnt been there the whole year
Just have to share this re: previous game vs Wolves. Sorry for going back a game but this is worth sharing.
“They are cut from the same cloth…
Both Jimmy Butler and Anthony Edwards have been jokingly referred to as “Jordan’s kids”.
The comparisons are evident.
They don’t take any prisoners.
They’re all about the grind.
They’re all about winning.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been lucky to have them wear their colors.
For Jimmy, he led them to the playoffs after a 13-year drought.
When he left, they fell off. HARD.
They didn’t make the playoffs for 3 years after trading Butler.
That fall landed them Anthony Edwards.
They slowly crept up the West’s pecking order, and made the playoffs the past two years.
Ant took multiple leaps, and the Wolves rose along with him.
They are currently the top seed in the West.”
– via ClutchPoints
only problem our baby jordan is a grandfather now
Was thinking of you and “Heat for life” the other night. You both might earn the title” Patron or Patriarch Awards” on Hothothoops for your long “tenure”. I remembered others like jchinco, simithAsmith’friend, the dude from Canada forgotten his monika, Emily from Alaska , whodunnit etc.
Thanks! But ive “just” been a Heat fan year 2006 during their first championship run. There are several here I think hav been fans since Heat’s first yr. I’m happy and proud of this Culture. I just wish to see 2-3 more rings before I turn 60 πππ
I’ve been heat fan almost all my life, I’m only 30 years old, so I’ve been a heat fan for like 23 years π , I’ve been lurking on hhh for probably 9 years, and Finally got the courage to start commenting like 2 seasons ago lol
You missed a few. I was here before those 2 upstarts π, as was Oregoner, formerly Odom, Wade, Butler. 2qbn was here, along with, as you note, jnicho. Macaroni Overlord was another. The earliest one I remember was Rocket Sprocket. He was basically the HHH patriarch, but is long gone.
Canadian Heat Fan/CHF got here when we signed Olynyk.
driver j and jimmy freethrows have moved on from hhh
Yes, diver j was here early, jft was more recent.
jnicho 20 thought would be a hhh for life.dude knew hoops.talked like a coach
House, thanks for taking us through memory lane, yeah I remember Rocket Sprocket. This is why I like peeping down from Uranus. Keep the flame on, guys. Go Heat, Go!
Glad to know a little trivia of HHH history. You guys are the real patriarchs here and I’m learning so much. I’m looking forward to celebrating a Heat championship with this group in the near future ππͺπ»ππ»ππ₯ππππ
Iβll put the champagne in the refrigerator!
we have a shot this year jjj bam jim herro derozan or vucevic or rozier
i love lists of the HHH OG’s.
I saw South Florida Cap Guy on the Blazers Blog during the Dame trade rumors. Hopefully Fins Fan shows up after football season. Also shoutout to XmikeX and throwuptheX, who may or may not have been the same person
Nice win over the JV. Shoutout the Tyler, he was easily the best player on the court tonight. Highsmith and Bryant were solid off the bench. Duncan is just reliable every game now. Bam is still getting his legs back under him.
Ultimately, the Heat played well, but the real reason the Heat won this game is because the Magic shot terrible from 3-point range. It’s fine, the Heat have blown plenty of winnable games, I’ll take a W because the other team shot poorly.
One minor detail I’ve noticed…Bam and Tyler missed a ton of games and they’ve been back for the last two. They’ve looked great, and this team looks better with those guys on the squad. They both look like potential all-stars. BUT. They clearly don’t have a rhythm with JJJ, who is clearly the next best player on this team (non Jimmy Butler division). Seeing Tyler and Bam start to build a rhythim with Jamie J should be a huge priority over the next few weeks.
All that said, there’s one game against Atlanta before the Christmas day showdown with the Sixers. let’s win these next two!
Good write up. Did not watch the game, but it seems Herro’s offense and better defensive effort by the Heat did the job.
Watch the replay bro! Just dnt include last 3min lol
lol,thanks!
Dibs on first comment! Lol
Yes, W on a top 5 in East…one down. Lets get more!