MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Friday night’s 106-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves:
– There is no escaping this homestand because of where the Heat started it.
– At three games below .500, the only way to get level was at least 4-1 on this homestand.
– A homestand that not only included Friday night’s game against the Timberwolves, but also games next week against the Clippers and Celtics.
– With games in between against the Bulls and Hornets.
– In other words, pull off at least a pair of underdog wins or head back out on the road next weekend with a losing record.
– For games in Memphis and New York.
– So, no, this was not the best way to start things.
– No with no margin of error over this next week.
– Close, but not close enough.
– Again.
– Going in, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “This is the thing, when we’re playing all these tight games and really close, competitive games, this is what I remind the locker room, we have to stay so laser focused into the process, and not just the result.”
– Except the result now matters.
– A lot.
– So Spoelstra also added, “And that’s the lesson. If we want to quiet the noise, we find a way to win. And we have to take all the responsibility if we don’t.”
– That makes this homestand a hard, cold reality.
– Show you are up to the challenge of playing with those above water.
– Or accept the reality of an underwater season.
– Exam time started Friday.
– Graded simply on a pass-fail scale.
– With the Heat not making the needed grade in this one.
– With Tyler Herro back from his one-game illness absence, but with Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and Alec Burks out, the Heat opened with a lineup of Herro, Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, Kevin Love and Pelle Larsson.
– It was the fifth time in as many games the Heat went with a different starting lineup.
– Friday night’s unit was another one that had yet to play together prior to getting the start.
– The Heat’s 19th starting lineup of the season.
– It was Larsson’s second start of the season.
– It had Spoelstra opting for Larsson over Terry Rozier, who had struggled mightily in Wednesday night’s loss in Cleveland.
– Haywood Highsmith entered first off the Heat bench.
– With Duncan Robinson then following.
– Followed, together by Kyle Anderson and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
– Before Rozier entered as 10th man.
– With Friday night’s opening lineup, it meant having the institutional knowledge of Highsmith and Robinson off the bench.
– “It is important to have that corporate knowledge,” Spoelstra said. “We don’t have the corporate knowledge all the way through. But the guys really work at it, too.”
– He added, “Those guys are plug and play. They understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. And they’ve been really instrumental in our good moments.”
– Spoelstra again then commended his locker room.
– “I love this group,” Spoelstra said. “I love the locker room, to not get discouraged but to feel the process and feel the momentum?
– The Timberwolves, who were without Rudy Gobert, opened with a lineup of Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Naz Reid.
– Spoelstra went in acknowledging there are no easy answers against Edwards.
– “He’s the number-one trapped player in the league,” Spoelstra said, “so he’s not even going to blink if you bring a second defender to him. He’s used to that. That’s his world, that’s his life.”
– Having worked with Edwards with USA Basketball, Spoelstra added, “Probably the biggest improvement he’s made in the last couple of years is his shooting.”
– Highsmith’s second 3-point attempt was the 500th of his career.
– Herro made it 84 consecutive regular-season games scoring in double figures.
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