Boy of boy, lot more energy from the "Heat" as the 3Q wound down. Better ball movement. At 1:55 Giannis was still on the floor. When the highlights skip to 4 secs left, he is not. 96-77 end 3. So I don't know what AP was talking about. The Bam-Portis-THII-Davion-Pelle lineup did not play in the 3rd that I saw.
Start 4th, now they're on the floor! And BOY are they active. THII penetrates and scores and draws the and-1.
And the defense is MANIACAL! Here swarming, disrupting and nearly stripping a Bug.
Davion hit a trey...Okay, I'm up to the first tie at 100, at 5:42. It's all energy, folks. Davion Fucking Mitchell, already my favorite Heater on this team and one of my all-time favorites, has been a man possessed the entire 4Q. Chazz looks like they kept their 1H starters in, I see the Bug with the white sleeved t-shirt, and if that's true, then they look tired and shell-shocked. Bam and Davion are part of this unit and were starters too, but Davion just looks unleashed, like he doesn't have to bullshit around getting the ball to Giannis in Spo's Giannis offense. This is jazz now, not a Bach composition. The "funnel" offensive scheme for Giannis and Bam doesn't work on either end of the floor. This 4th quarter is what the "Heat" could be if Spo unscripted them. This is not a Giannis problem, the "Heat" are not better without him, this, imo, is an overscripted team on both ends, an Eric Spoelstra problem.
This is so gorgeous, I have to show you.
Bam, point-forward, lollygagging up court, not seeming to notice Davion on the top of the right wing.
Then blur Davion streaks to the basket, a simple backdoor cut, but completely taking the buzz-less Bug by surprise and leaving him eating sneaker.
That was the second tie at 102.
Alas, heaters and haters there is no secret sauce in that lineup. It is just the energy that comes with being unleashed by Master Spoelstra. He has overcoached. He needs to dial it back, make it less complex.
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