The final score doesn’t matter, but the Miami Heat took care of business in their first preseason game in Quebec City, Canada, against the Toronto Raptors this weekend. Nineteen players saw the floor for Miami, which is obviously a lot, especially since no starter played more than 14 minutes. So who were a few winners and losers? Let’s dive into it.
Winner: Heat’s 3-point shooting
Skinny: A concern for most of the offseason, the Heat’s 3-point shooting was their biggest strength on Saturday. In the first half on Saturday, 11 of the Heat’s 22 made baskets were from 3-point range, coming at a 47.8 percent (11-23) clip. Andrew Wiggins shot 4-of-6 from deep, while Tim Hardaway Jr. was a perfect 3-of-3.
Miami did a great job pushing pace and exploiting an over-aggressive Raptors defense, both in the half-court and in transition. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect. It was a very physical game. Both teams were fairly disjointed, and that’s typically the case at this time of year. Miami’s 3-point shooting, however, wasn’t, and that’s a great sign to come if it can sustain even some of that.
Loser: Ryan Conwell
Skinny: Nothing that he showed tonight gives me concern about Conwell’s potential role as a rookie. Appearing 18 second-half minutes, he had six points on 3-of-8 shooting and two assists. For tonight’s game, he was on the outside-looking-in regarding the regular rotation, which isn’t far off from expectations to begin ths season. His defense was OK, and he missed all three of his 3-point tries. I’m not worried, but he didn’t pop in his first career NBA (preseason) action.
Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s passing
Skinny: One point was painstakingly clear: As respected as Antetokounmpo is as a slasher and defender, his most underrated skill is his passing. He was phenomenal Saturday, dishing out a team-high seven assists — all coming on made threes.
He’s always been a good passer, a skill he’s tirelessly developed as he’s become a 1A superstar. He’s averaged 6.0 assists with a 32.8 assist rate over the last eight seasons, but it doesn’t get talked about as much because of how special of a slasher he is. And if his teammates are burying as many shots as they did tonight, he might set a new career high in those statistics.
Here’s what Erik Spoelstra said about Antetokounmpo’s playmaking after the game.
He makes great plays,” Spoelstra said, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “We knew that about him. We faced him in the playoffs three times. But when you really see it every day in practice this week, you appreciate how brilliant of a playmaker that he can be.
“With the size and the vision and his ability to put it on the numbers to shooters is really impressive. Pat (Riley) was at practice all week and the way he’s played with the ball in his hands and delivering the ball, he reminds all of us of a great big point guard that played for Pat back in the ’80s.”
Loser: Klay Thompson
Skinny: We will cut Thompson some slack: His gravity was evident, and he’s playing with an entirely new organization at 36-years-old. But he did not have a single point in 13 minutes, attempting two shots, including just one 3-pointer. To the point made in the first winner listed, Thompson being one of the few regulars to not make a three is an indictment of how good the rest of the supporting cast was from beyond the arc.
Winner: Ian Schieffelin
Skinny: Of the Exhibit 10 signees, Schieffelin was the best one. The Heat decided to bring him in after an encouraging Summer League showing, and he picked up right where he left off. In 10 fourth-quarter minutes, he scored nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting with one triple. Beyond that, his ballhandling and decision-making were crisp. He doesn’t move well nor does he have overwhelming athleticism, but the former two-sport athlete at Clemson has good coordination and knows how to impact the game without the ball in his hands. Of the Heat’s current Exhibit 10 players, he poses as the biggest threat to steal Vladimir Goldin’s two way, which — to me 0 — should be the most vulnerable.
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Pelle! He reminds me of a young butler (aka quitter). In his third year, quitter averaged 13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.6 apg in 38.7 mpg. I think Pelle will beat those numbers in fewer minutes. Here’s his highlights from Saturday’s game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdmPpZGTho
Could be a long season for the Bucks. #grateful
Yup. But they have young players, veterans/expiring contracts
and draft picks to work with. I can see at least half the team not returning next year.
I noticed Ware had 14 rebounds. I’m interested in seeing how much Ware, Jakucionis and Jaquez improve this season.
I’m ordering NBA League Pass this season instead of team pass, in order to see other NBA teams/games (including the Bucks). Note: preseason games are to be televised on league pass.
It should be a very competitive year, especially in the East.
It’s a very positive outlook. I won’t get the pass, but will follow the Bucks all season and watch them when I can.
The regular season is the same length for all teams. It just depends how one approaches it. The Bucks have an interesting mix of players, mostly young and I think they’ll look to trade veterans like Turner and Kuzma at some point to accumulate more assets. They have six new players that are, or were, first round picks in Ament, Burries, Herro, Jaquez, Ware, and Kas. I will be following them this season. They could be anywhere from a 20 something victory cellar dweller to a borderline play-in team.
The Heat have won it all 3 times in 38 years. They have probably been competitive about 20 of those other years. That would mean they’ve had pretty bad to very bad seasons around 15 times. I may not like to see my team lose, but I have found something to enjoy about them every single year..
It isn’t always just about the destination. It’s also about the trials and tribulations of the journey that gets you there. It’s hard to fully appreciate the sweet taste of success if you have not first experienced the bitter taste of defeat.
Its a good thing that we didnt get Beal. That man’s weakness is availability
I think Kyrie has exactly the same problem and at a much more cost.
Winner: Niko 😉
He was decent, which is an upgrade over last year awful. I m happy with that.
Didn’t shoot well, but 7 rebounds and 4 assists were good. And one of his 2 blocks was on a great hustle play.
I see his cup as half full rather than half empty. He just needs to turn that switch on (self confidence) in order to find his game/mojo. Hopefully, being part of a veteran team, he will find his groove.
mip 2.0
MIP season loading 😉
I dont think MIP will be in play, since he already produced solid numbers. But I think he is a favourite for 6th man award, and maybe 2nd or 3th best defensive lineup.
He is much stronger and faster then he was. I cant wait so see him in real action.
Winner: Pelle Larsson. Loser: Eastern Conference.
west conf?
Gotta get through East first. Heat bad news for East teams.
dont get games yet need antenna
Did you call AT&T yet? I would be surprised if they don’t have it. Did you try those channels I sent to you?
what channels rc.att doesnt get abc local news but we get abc programming.ill have to get an antenna to get heat games.u call att u speak to people overseas who know squat
get yourselves nba league pass.
If you’re in a condo, you should have a local contact. You probably can even go into an AT&T store to ask before you spend money on something you may not really need.
From Miami herald –
Is WPLG available on all local cable systems, streaming services and satellite providers?
No. Several major carriers have kept WPLG even after its divorce last year from ABC – including Comcast, Breezeline and DirecTV satellite. But five providers that dropped WPLG haven’t yet signed up to carry the station again. Those five are Dish Network, YouTube TV, DirecTV streaming, Hulu and Fubo.
Since AT&T is NOT one of the only 5 that doesn’t yet carry wplg, that suggests that your company DOES carry it. But go buy your antenna if you want to.
i got antenna im good thanks rc only thing is it doesnt work on my big tv went to scan says n/a so gotta put it on 48 incher right next to big boy
And one more – save your hard earned cash.
Q: Ira I couldn’t watch the game Saturday because I live in Cape Coral, what’s my best bet to watch all 82 games without restrictions? – DRob.
A: According to the Heat, all elements of their previous markets covered by FanDuel Sports Florida will be covered by new over-the-air outlets by the Oct. 21 season opener against the Timberwolves. Television coverage in the Palm Beach market is expected to begin with the Oct. 14 exhibition against the visiting Nets.
not taking any chances think ira is wrong.
Nah, my research indicates the same thing, that att will provide it. But you have your antenna now, so it’s moot.
de paula de pop out to end game.
We added you to the list of losers because of the television antenna situation. Let us know when it is resolved so we can take you off the list.
loser cause of that lol fk att and wplg there loser$$$.