Winderman’s view: If Heat are defenseless, can resurrection be a reality?
· Yahoo Sports
LOS ANGELES — Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 138-117 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers:
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– Yes, a lot of it was Luka Doncic.
– A lot.
– But the Heat allowed 79 points in the first half.
– Seventy. Nine.
– They hit the 100-point mark with 4:02 left in the third period.
– And kept on going.
– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows that has to be the inflection point to something better.
– In fact, Spoelstra also did not want to hear at the morning shootaround about his team’s defensive reputation.
– “You can’t just be on paper,” he said. “And it can’t just be reputation. It has to be backed up by real action.”
– Then Luka happened.
– And the Heat kept fouling.
– After seeing his team blitzed for 45 points by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards on opening night, Spoelstra said there has to be a greater appreciation for what it takes against such players defensively, including Doncic on Monday night.
– “It has to be a whole lot more effort and focus and discipline,” he said. “Even if you do that, you have to have great mental and emotional stability.”
– He added, “You have to put yourself out there as a competitor. It’s got to be five guys against the ball.”
– Spoelstra also appears to be done with talk about a dramatically revised roster making the adjustment.
– “We don’t want to use that as an excuse,” he said, “The league’s not waiting. We don’t want to wait.”
– And then this.
– The thing is, with the Heat about to enter the second week of their season, Spoelstra said before the game that there should be enough in place for a foundation for success.
– “Hopefully we can fast track that as much as possible,” he said, “but the changes will never stop. I’ve had teams where we’ve made significant changes in the playoffs, so I’m not necessarily expecting it to be perfect right now.”
– He added, “But what I’ve told the guys is that we have enough in. We have enough of an idea of what our identity is. And as we’re learning each other, learning the system, there also is a talent to be able to win games while you’re figuring it out.”
– For the seventh time in as many games, the Heat opened with a lineup of Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Davion Mitchell.
– Also, for the seventh time in as many games, the team’s three two-way players (Tre Donaldson, Keshad Johnson and Vlad Goldin) again inactive.
– Bobby Portis Jr. was first off the Heat bench.
– With Mitchell with two early fouls, Ryan Conwell was second off the Heat bench.
– And then Pelle Larsson and Tim Hardaway Jr.
– With Nikola Jovic making it 10 deep in the first half, largely due to Heat foul trouble.
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– Later, it was Dru Smith who got the call ahead of Conwell in the third quarter.
– Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick was asked to compare the Heat’s acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo to when the Lakers added Doncic in terms of coaching challenges.
– Apples to oranges, he said.
– “I think our challenge was different from the Heat’s challenge,” Redick said, “because our challenge happened in the middle of the season. And our challenge also coincided with us trading a center for a guard and then we had one center on the roster. So that presented its own set of challenges that I think were maybe a little unique.’
– He added, “I don’t look at it as a challenge, I look at it as the job. So the job as a coach is trying to make the group work in whatever capacity. I always say the job of a coach and the leader of an organization is very simple: It’s can you maximize the group and do people enjoy coming to work? It’s that simple.”
– But he did allow that there is a challenge to mixing in a superstar.
– “In terms of roster building, again the job is trying to build around your star’s skill sets and finding pieces that complement their skill sets,” Redick said.
– Antetokounmpo was among those nominated for NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week that went Monday to Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
– The Lakers entered having won the previous three meetings, including both matchups last season.
– The teams conclude the two-game season series in a March 23 nationally televised game at Kaseya Center.