Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Kevin love started both halves and he "Heat" can say all they want that Kevin Love was healthy but math don't lie. He played 12' the whole game, 8th on the team. The "Heat" got no help from Spo's toolbox tonight except C-Martin. Jimmy could not dominate. The aforementioned Lovey Dovey Turtle Dovey, and Bam, only 10 points and 5 rebounds and subs, Kyle and Donut--all 4 gave us nothing. But I don't blame them individually or collectively for their offense. The "Heat" got away from their identity tonight, disruptive, annoying, will-sapping defense. Jimmy and Shaquille O'Neal have said this series that the "Heat" always play the same way: hard. I didn't sense that from following the play-by-play. Look, just a couple of games after Spo said on an open mic in a huddle, "They only way they can beat us is with the 3," that's exactly how Boston beat us tonight. The "Heat" defense was atrocious overall, letting Beans shoot 51.2% but the key long range shooting that Spo warned against was, to JoeMaz' supreme credit, the clear game plan coming in, they were going to live or by by the 3, and by God, they lived and prospered! 45 shots from downtown, 18 successful ones, 54 HUGE points, outscoring Miami by 20 with just that shot. That was the game! A net +20 just from behind the arc and a 17-point defeat. We were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball, +6 t.o.s leading to +13 for Beans off those turnovers. We out-rebounded them but they still took +6 more shots than we did: those turnovers. No, we didn't play the same way that we always do tonight and that, more than anything with this "Heat" team, means defense. We didn't play "Heat" defense. We are going to win this series. We just didn't do it tonight.