The "Heat" are a mess right now, factionalized, distracted, emotionally strung out, even more talent short than they have been the previous ten seasons of 45 wins. If it was not for Tyler Herro this season, we would be the 2023/24 Zollner Pistons. He is literally the only consistent offensive weapon we have had. Tyler had 25 tonight.
Erik Spoelstra is a tinkerer, one of those guys back in Barnesboro, the only part of him you ever see is his butt crack because he's always bending over the hood of his car tinkering with the engine. Spo is going to use every tool that Pat Riley puts in his tool box, whether it's a banana or the very best wrench in the world. Spo wants to get under the hood and try it out, whatever it is. He will tinker with his starting lineup and rotation until the grandgodfather tells him to stop and settle. But Riley has been a Mad Scientist this season. More like the Marquis de Sade. He has taken Spo's shiniest, go-to wrench and told Spo, and the world, that it is going to be discarded. Then he brought it, him, Jimmy Butler, back. Spo inserted him into the starting lineup immediately. Then Jimmy got his ass suspended again for two games, these last two. Ergo all of that, the Miami box score tonight is weird. It has been weird before tonight.
Have you noticed that Hi-Ho, who started 31 games this season, didn't start against Beer (but played 22')?; that he didn't start against Portlandia (and only played 4')?; started against San Antonio (and played 8')?
Have you noticed that K-Love is MIA in Mia.? He hasn't played a minute in the last four games, and I'm not implying that he did play in the fifth, I only went back four games.
I said factionalized in the beginning paragraph. There's a "faction", Shams Charania's word, in the "Heat" locker room that is done with Jimmy Butler. Which does imply that there is a faction that wants Jimmy back. I put K-Love in the We 💓Jimmy camp. Kevin Instagrammed something, a song I think, to effect he's not leaving.. Jimmy liked it. I don't think 601 Biscayne liked it. I think Kevin has been frozen out by the grandgodfather and his puppet, Spoelstra. I don't know if Hi-Ho's yo-yo mins and, until tonight, the loss of his starting position, is a consequence of being with the out group, but somehow Hi-Ho has gotten sideways with Spo.
Now to tonight's box score weirdness. Spo started Hi-Ho tonight. Played him 21'. He had as many points in 21 as Pelle had in 5.
Ke'el, who has zoomed to the bettors favorite to win ROTY off like TWO WEEKS of eye-catching performances, I don't know what tonight, if it was who this shitty Alibaba team threw out to guard him, if it was some scheme, or if Ke'el just sucked: 23', 3/11 (1/2), 6 rebs, 0 assts, 3 steals, 2 blks, 2 t.o.s, 2 fouls, 7 points, -4. The worst +/- of any heater who played. That's sucking.
For the second straight game, Spo gave early minutes to Pelle and then disappeared him. Against Beer, Spo started him, he played 14', ninth on the team, had 4 points and as many fouls. Tonight, Spo didn't start him; he was not the 6th man, nor the 7th, nor 8th, he was the ninth man to play. If you can call 5' "playing". His stat line is all zeros.
Bam had 17 and 16. Now, I didn't see the game, but Bam has turned into a stat hog this season and against Alibaba you can pad your stats. I don't think Bam's stats have impacted winning this season.
Nikola Jovic was first off the bench and played starter's minutes, 31', fourth-most. 17, 6, 4, 2 steals, 2 blks, 4 t.o.'s, 4 fouls, 17 points, +4. A full stat line, something for everybody, even if you don't want it.
Scary Terry played fifth-most as second off the bench: 30', 8 rebs, 2 assts, 2 t.o.'s, 2 fouls, 16 pnts, +2.
I'm very glad that we won. I don't make much of this game. The team is a mess. Jimmy is back next game, Monday night, Bang Bus, Disney. We will lose that game. PTSD.
