The fact that Miami had their worst offensive outing with Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo in the starting lineup is alarming. 

I am not a stats guy; not anal about "analytics"; they can distort too easily--too small sample size, too large over changing variables, or be meaningless (the odious +-); they take away from the eye test--they are meant to! Who you gonna believe, my stats or your lyin' eyes.

My running 9.5 year stat of the "Heat"'s average wins per year is one stat I believe in (obviously, since I use it): not too small; long, but unique (to my knowledge), in no change to three major variables--Arison, Riley, Spoelstra, "Culture". An average 45 wins per season over 10 years and 46 (projected) this season is telling to my eyes.

So too Barry Jackson's "Big Three" stat this weekend. The "Heat" are now 31-32 in games over one and one-half seasons when Jimmy, Tyler, and Bam all play. Not too small, not too big with changes in major variables (in Barry's stat there is six-way alignment). What is the meaning of Barry's stat? I thought it was damning of the idea that we have a "Big Three". Barry, however, explicitly wrote that the "Big Three" were not to be blamed! Rather it was the lack of surrounding talent, especially on offense: Gilbert Arena's take that "That's a YMCA team down there in Miami!" So there you have the difference in meaning that is a bugaboo of stats.

The cognos (of which I am not one, obviously) have another stat that tells to them: we are, I forget which, either 28th or 29th in offense this season. That one doesn't mean as much to me. I mean, "Heat" Culture is all about effort, especially on defense. We have never been, never will be, Miami Marymount with the Big Three at the top of the 601 Biscayne organizational chart. We're something like fifth defensively. That's the "Heat". But said 601 Biscayne seems to recognize the validity of that stat, in part at least. They tried like hell to get Damian Lillard last off-season. They are reportedly very interested in getting a scorer before the current draft window closes. But they have stood pat for the better part of three seasons now. They consider two of the "Big Three" untouchable, Tyler being the exception. 

So I don't know. This is my blog, these are my eyes, that is my stat. Imo we don't have a "Big Three"; the rest of the Association does not see a new Miami "Big Three". In my mind there is no doubt that our surrounding pieces would win a championship if they surrounded LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh. I think our current four-through-fifteen roster is better than those of the Heatles years. I blame the current "Big Three".