Can the Heat Rebound in Game Two Against the Cavaliers?
After a fairly hard-fought performance on Sunday night, the Miami Heat still have a lot of work to do to get back in the series against the number-one seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami did their best to remain in the game during Game One, keeping deficits as low as seven points in the fourth quarter before a late-game outbreak from Cleveland killed any hopes of a comeback. Erik Spoelstra, Chris Quinn, and the rest of the Heat coaching staff can go into Game Two emphasizing the fact that the Heat can hang around with Cleveland. Sure, Miami may have never had a lead, but keeping Cleveland on their toes and forcing them to play their starters for the whole game should be positive reinforcement on the squad after a game that left a lot to be desired.
Defensively, the Miami Heat need to enforce a strategy to defend every part of the court more efficiently. Ty Jerome splashed five threes on the Heat and ended the game with 28 points. Jerome was a wake-up call for Miami to hone in on their 2-3 zone defense as they looked completely lost for a lot of the game, leaving open shooters all over the court. Man-to-man defense, and specifically the effort from star guard Tyler Herro, needs heavy fixing as well. Herro is at a pivotal point in his career after breaking out as the star of this team this season. The trio of Ty Jerome, Donovan Mitchell, and Darius Garland targeted Herro 36 times and scored on 29 of those 36 targets. These numbers are unacceptable for anyone, but especially unacceptable for the newly crowned face of the franchise following the exit of the defensively reliable Jimmy Butler. The Heat need to find the defensive identity that led them to be a top-10 defense this season, the same defense that left the Golden State Warriors scrambling for answers in Jimmy Butler’s return game.
The sky isn’t falling in Miami, and they have only lost one game in a long best-of-seven series. Davion Mitchell looks just as great as he has since the Heat traded for him, and Bam Adebayo is still just as on fire as he was to end the season. Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Herro both had off nights on both sides of the ball, but you have to expect that to be an outlier game if you’re Miami. Expect more effort, limit mistakes, and remember who you are should be the three slogans that this Heat team should be focused on. This team may have looked a little different in 2023 when they went from the Play-In to the NBA Finals, but that team showed that overcoming massive seeding deficits is completely possible when you make the playoffs. Overperforming and beating the odds are engraved in this team's culture, and if they can hone in on that culture, anything feels within reach. Game Two will take place in Cleveland at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on NBA TV.
