The Miami Heat are rolling in the preseason, improving their record to 3-1 and secure their third straight win 120-11 over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. This game featured both teams going on runs, until the Heat blew it open following halftime. Atlanta was outscored 37-15 in that third quarter.
#HEATWin final – Miami 120, Atlanta 111
🔥 Butler: 24pts, 5rebs, 3asts & 3stls
🔥 Herro: 19pts (3 3s), 5asts & 5rebs
🔥 Highsmith: 16pts (6-8 FGM) & 4rebs pic.twitter.com/bv5ZCF9lnp— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 17, 2024
The player of the game was Jimmy Butler, who led the team offensively and set the tone for his teammates. He hit a buzzer beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter; from then on, Miami had full control. It is a great sight to see Butler’s commitment to the team and his availability.
He has appeared in all four of the Heat’s preseason games after playing in none of them the previous two years.
Not only is it great to see Butler make an effort to play in more games, preseason nonetheless, but it has also been encouraging to see extended run from the projected starting five. Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo have looked impressive thus far. It is clear that coach Erik Spoelstra is looking to build that continuity right out of the gate and see the most reps possible from his main core.
That chemistry is quickly building and the group looks sharp on both ends of the floor together. They have been playing more quick, efficient and seem to have found a way to complement each other. Miami made it a point to improve their offense heading into the new season, and this five-man lineup has looked like it gives the best opportunity to do so.
The Heat have been consistently getting up 40+ 3-point attempts during the preseason, finishing 13/42 (32%) as a team tonight. They shot 51% from the field compared to Atlanta’s 43%. The Hawks came out firing offensively, but Miami was able to combat that with strong offense of their own. Outside of the more modern day offense looking effective, their defensive activity has been high with steals and deflections leading to easy offense.
Outside of Butler and the starters, the depth has shined with solid contributions tonight from guys like Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Alec Burks and Kevin Love. It appears that the Heat are sporting a new top heavy lineup that is meshing well together, but the bench looks as deep as ever, too.
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Sometimes I agree with 30 and sometimes we see things differently. But we always agree about being realistic. Do I see the Heat as a bona fide contender? For that to happen, everything would have to fall perfectly into place, which is difficult at best. (but not impossible)
As of today, I feel Highsmith is the better option at pf, though Jovic can help off the bench.
You can’t teach size, and with his skill set, Ware can be a force on this team for years to come. But he, as well as Christopher, Keshad, and Pelle, are still raw. To expect any one of them to play meaningful minutes early on is unrealistic.
Like most, I want my teams to win it all every year. But, in the real world, each team has better than a 90% chance of not winning it all. So if someone is miserable when their team doesn’t win a championship, they’re going to be miserable most of the time.
So, as I do every season, I choose to enjoy watching my teams and hoping for lightning to strike.
I like this Heat team, so I’ll say Let’s go Heat(!) whatever may happen.
Big game from Jimmy. He can still do that.