Miami Heat: Interesting numbers from the first win of the season
By Simon Smith
In notching their first win of the 2017-18 NBA season, some familiar numbers again rose to the surface for the Miami Heat.
In their home opening game of the 2017-18 season, the Miami Heat managed to narrowly hold on for a 112-108 win over the Indiana Pacers.
The Heat were rolling with just over five minutes remaining in the third term, and holding an 87-66 lead. But unfortunately, the Heat made it hard for themselves going down the stretch, scoring just five points for the remainder of the third term, and then being outscored 31-21 in the final period.
Playing without injured center Hassan Whiteside, the Heat were led by their starting backcourt of Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters. Dragic posted 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Waiters added 19 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.
With Whiteside missing, the Heat went to an alternate starting lineup, with newcomer Jordan Mickey starting at center, and James Johnson replacing Kelly Olynyk at the 4 spot. While Johnson struggled from the perimeter in shooting just 1-of-5 from downtown, he nonetheless put together a terrific all-around game with 14 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Two of Johnson’s 14 points featured this monster slam in the opening term.
For his part, Olynyk had his best all-around performance in a Heat uniform, producing 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes of play. Olynyk proved again why he presents the Heat with a genuine point of difference, with his ability to face up and play away from the basket.
Following the game, head coach Erik Spoelstra explained his overall thoughts on the teams performance:
"“When we built the lead, our defence was active – deflections, hands, multiple efforts, that was more the direction we want to get to with our identity. More in the fourth quarter it was our offence that was getting us in trouble.”"
That defensive lapse Spoelstra is certain what hurt the Heat in their season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic, and after two games in the books, the Heat find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being ranked 21st in the league for defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 106.7. This is in stark contrast to last season, when the Heat finished the season ranked fifth at 104.1.
Also, while it was in a small sample size, the Heat again struggled from the free-throw line. After shooting at a 70.6 percent clip last season to finish dead last, the Heat shot 8-of-14 for the night, providing just a 57.1 percent return. Considering the Pacers got back to within 109-106 with 23 seconds remaining the game, these lapses from the charity stripe are bound to hurt the Heat moving forward if they can’t be rectified.
On the positive side, there were some notable statistical contributions that are a reliable measure of the Heat’s success in recent times.
As a team, the Heat shot 51.7 percent from the field, and 41.2 percent from the 3-point line. Last season, the Heat posted a 14-2 record when they shot greater than 50 percent from the field, and a 22-5 record when they shot 41.0 percent or greater from downtown. With the team largely the same as last season, these comparisons are very valid.
From an individual standpoint, James Johnson’s 8 assists were extremely noteworthy. Last season, the Heat posted a 4-1 record when Johnson dished out eight or more assists in a game. Given his versatility and diverse skill set, Johnson’s ability to handle the ball can not only make the Heat less predictable, it can allow the likes of Dragic and Waiters to make full use of their spot-up capabilities.
Next: 10 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
The Heat will reconvene to American Airlines Arena on Monday night as part of their six-game homestead to take on the Atlanta Hawks.