The Heat burst out of the gates this season with a retooled, up-tempo offense that ditched their traditional screen-heavy identity. Now the rest of the league is starting to catch up.
Miami dropped its third straight game on Saturday, falling to the Kings, and coach Erik Spoelstra admitted the team needs a quick reset with Tuesday’s NBA Cup elimination game against Orlando approaching.
“It was not one of our finer games, but we’ll regroup,” Spoelstra told reporters. “I want our guys to get rest. We have a practice day Monday and we need it. We have to fine-tune some things.”
Spoelstra overhauled Miami’s system this summer, pushing the pace after six seasons near the bottom of the league. The Heat still technically lead the NBA in pace at 105.4 possessions per 48 minutes, but that number is deceiving.
As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes, opponents have started dragging Miami back into slower, more deliberate games. Five of the Heat’s last seven outings have been among their slowest of the season.
“We knew this was going to happen,” Norman Powell said. “We surprised everybody with the pace, and now they’re ready for it.”
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