Category: Miami Heat Blog

Heat blog – Miami Heat blog

Miami Heat make a series of roster moves

The Miami Heat made a series of roster moves today.

The team signed center Brandon McCoy, forward Drew Peterson, forward Cole Swider, forward Justin Champagnie, guard Alondes Williams and guard Caleb Daniels.

Following these transactions, the Heat then waived McCoy and signed Jamal Cain to a Two-Way Contract.

Peterson appeared in four NBA2K24 Summer League games (all starts) with the HEAT in Las Vegas and averaged 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.50 steals while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, a team-high 47.1 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the foul line. He spent last season at USC where he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team after leading the team in rebounds, assists, starts and minutes while finishing second in points, scoring average, blocks, field goals made, three-point field goals made and free throws made.

Swider split last season between the Los Angeles Lakers and their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. He appeared in 27 regular season games (19 starts) with South Bay and averaged 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 28.7 minutes while shooting 50.6 percent from the field, 43.6 percent from three-point range and 83.8 percent from the foul line, helping the team to a playoff berth. He also appeared in seven games with the Los Angeles Lakers, totaling nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Champagnie split last season between the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and the HEAT’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He appeared in 23 regular season games (15 starts) with the Skyforce and averaged 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 31.3 minutes while shooting 52 percent from the field, leading the team in total rebounds. He also appeared in five NBA games, two with the Celtics and three with the Raptors.

Williams split last season between the Brooklyn Nets and their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. He appeared in 24 regular season games (12 starts) with Long Island and averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.21 steals and 27.6 minutes while shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 71.9 percent from the foul line. He also appeared in one game with the Brooklyn Nets, grabbing a rebound in 5:16 minutes of action in a, 136-133, win at Indiana on December 10.

Daniels appeared in four NBA2K24 Summer League games with the HEAT in Las Vegas and averaged 4.8 points and 1.0 rebounds while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He spent last season at Villanova where he led the team in assists, three-point field goals made, minutes, games played and starts while earning the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

Cain, who was previously signed by the HEAT on July 15, 2022, split last season between the HEAT and Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He appeared in 15 regular season games (all starts) with the Skyforce and averaged 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.33 steals and 33.5 minutes while shooting 54.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent from the foul line, helping the team to the Western Conference Finals. Cain also appeared in 15 games with the HEAT last season averaging 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of action.

On the Heat starting power forward spot

Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

It possibly could wind up like during the playoffs, where it’s situational, with Kevin Love starting against bigger front lines and Caleb Martin starting against small-ball alignments. But Erik Spoelstra has shown during the regular season that lineup continuity is the preference. Still, several factors could come into play. Foremost, if Jimmy Butler misses the expected 20 or so games, then Caleb could be the option to start at small forward (if it’s not Josh Richardson). And I also could envision Spoelstra toying with Love as his backup center, which could reduce the chance of Kevin starting. Still lots of moving parts, and lots of time before a decision is needed. Heck, Haywood Highsmith could potentially also enter the equation at power forward.

FULL ARTICLE

Heat trade Victor Oladipo to Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired guard Victor Oladipo, a 2029 second-round draft pick and a 2030 second-round draft pick in a trade with the Miami Heat for cash considerations, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.

In 504 career NBA games (397 starts), Oladipo has averaged 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a member of the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Heat. During the 2016-17 season with the Thunder, Oladipo appeared in 67 games (all starts) and averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Some Heat possibilities for 2023 NBA free agency

Via the Miami Herald:

The big priority of this Heat offseason is adding a star player who can take some of the scoring load off Jimmy Butler.

But what if the Heat could add two?

There is a path to the Heat acquiring both Portland’s Damian Lillard and Washington’s Bradley Beal, but it would require the cooperation of the Trail Blazers and the Wizards, as well as the two stars pushing their way to Miami.

Lillard hasn’t asked for a trade but has said the Heat would appeal to him if he does. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week that it seems like Portland will keep Lillard and that nothing is percolating on the trade front. But Lillard has left open the possibility of asking for a trade if the Blazers do not build their roster into a contender.

Denver Nuggets win 2023 NBA championship

Via ESPN.com:

In the biggest game in Denver Nuggets history, veteran DeAndre Jordan had a second-half message for Jamal Murray during a timeout.

“Go win this game,” Jordan was heard saying on the broadcast. “Twelve minutes bro and you in history.

“Immortal.”

Murray, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets heeded the call for history, doing what they have done this entire magical postseason and adapting to any obstacle or defensive wrinkle thrown their way.

After opening Monday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals missing an abysmal 20 of their first 22 3-point attempts, the Nuggets came up with championship-winning plays in the final minutes.

From Jokic’s basket inside with 2:24 left to Bruce Brown’s putback with 1:31 to go, to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s steal off a Jimmy Butler pass with 27.1 seconds left, the Nuggets came up with all the big plays to win their first-ever NBA championship with a hard-fought 94-89 win over the Miami Heat at an overjoyed Ball Arena.

Via ESPN.com:

Nikola Jokic might not have won this third straight Most Valuable Player award this season, but he still ended up with an MVP trophy after all.

In addition to finally getting the championship he has coveted, Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP after the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 at Ball Arena.

Jokic closed out Miami with 28 points, 16 rebounds and four assists to help the Nuggets win the franchise’s first-ever NBA title. Like each opponent the Nuggets faced this postseason, the Heat had very little answers for Jokic.

When asked how it feels to be an NBA champion, Jokic told ESPN’s Lisa Salters on the court: “It’s good. It’s good. The job is done, and we can go home now.”

Prior to this championship run, Jokic, 28, was already considered one of the best players of his generation. But now that he has won a championship and a Finals MVP, one NBA Hall of Famer says this catapults the Serbian big man into a different stratosphere.

Heat win Game 2, tie NBA Finals 1-1 with Nuggets

The Heat tied the NBA Finals and had to overcome a monster 41-point effort from Nikola Jokic to do it. Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 21 and Heat beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night. “Our guys are competitors,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They love these kind of moments.” Evidently. They were down by as many as 15 points, down eight going into the fourth, and those numbers signified they were going to lose. Denver was 11-0 in these playoffs when leading by double digits at any point in a game, and 37-1 this season overall when leading by at least eight going into the fourth. – AP via ESPN.com

The Heat went up 11 early and led 26-23 at the end of the opening period. The Nuggets then went up 15 in the second period before the Heat closed within 57-51 at halftime. The Heat tied it 66-66 midway through the third quarter, but the Nuggets closed out the period on a 6-0 run to take an 83-75 lead into the fourth. – Sun Sentinel

A 3-pointer by Vincent with 10:10 to play then gave the Heat their first lead of the second half, at 86-85, as part of a 15-2 Heat run to open the fourth. “They came out in that fourth quarter with a huge sense of desperation, and we didn’t match that,” the Nuggets’ Malone said. The Heat then moved to their 107-95 lead with 3:39 to play on a Caleb Martin 3-pointer, with Denver trimming the deficit to 109-106 with 1:29 left on a basket by former University of Miami wing Bruce Brown. – Sun Sentinel

Just when you think Jimmy Butler is running on fumes, he summons enough to lift his team late. And Bam Adebayo was superb for the second game in a row. That helped offset 41 points by Nikola Jokic. After scoring a personal playoff-low 14 points in Game 1, Butler was again more of a facilitator than scorer through three quarters, missing all four of his shots in the third to go to the fourth with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting. But after resting for the first four plus minutes of the fourth quarter, Butler delivered three big baskets — a three-pointer, a three-point play on a driving jumper and foul and a jumper. Butler — who closed with 21 points and 9 assists — has shot 41 percent and averaged 23 points in the past 10 playoff games, compared with 32 points on 55 percent in the first nine games. He shot only 7 for 19 but 5 for 5 on free throws Sunday after not getting to the line in Game 1. And Butler leads the NBA — by far — in clutch points during these playoffs, and he keeps coming through when needed. – Miami Herald

Now, while there will be a lot of discussion about Miami‘s shooting and its unsustainability, the Nuggets did not do themselves any favors in Game 2. Denver’s defensive disposition was poor to start the game. If you kept an eye on this space after Game 1, you’ll remember I complimented Miami’s offensive process despite the team only putting up 93 points. The Heat didn’t radically change their attack Sunday, but they did take advantage of all the open looks Denver gave up. For those who had fears about Nikola Jokic’s ability to hold up defensively in the playoffs, Game 2 gave that group some ammunition. Joker’s drop coverage continued to give up good looks. Bam Adebayo had his second straight 20-point game, and was routinely picking apart the Nuggets on the short roll. While Jimmy Butler could not get going with his own offense, he was able to time and time again collapse the Denver defense and find outside shooters. – SI.com

Nuggets beat Heat 104-93 in NBA Finals Game 1

The Miami Heat set an NBA postseason record for fewest free throw attempts in a game, going to the foul line just twice during a 104-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Afterward, Heat star Jimmy Butler vowed to attack the basket more heading into Game 2 on Sunday night. He didn’t hesitate when asked why the offense struggled so much to find its rhythm. – ESPN.com

“Probably because we shot a lot of jump shots, myself probably leading that pack, instead of putting pressure on the rim,” Butler said after scoring just 13 points. “Getting lay-ups, getting to the free throw line. When you look at it during the game, they all look like the right shots. “And I’m not saying that we can’t as a team make those, but got to get more layups, got to get more free throws. And whenever you miss and don’t get back, the game gets out of hand kind of quickly. We gave up too many lay-ups, which we also can’t have happen. But that’s it as a whole. We’ve got to attack the rim a lot more, myself included.” – ESPN.com

The Heat fell into an early hole against Nikola Jokic and company in large part because the open looks that Butler and his teammates made a habit of hitting earlier in the postseason just didn’t fall. Heat guard Max Strus went 0-for-10 from the field, becoming the fourth player to shoot that or worse in a Finals game, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. Caleb Martin, who carried the Heat offensively at times in the Eastern Conference finals, went 1-for-7 from the field. – ESPN.com

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro will continue to test his surgically repaired right hand, and a return to the lineup for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets looms as a possibility, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Herro, who had surgery to fix the third and fourth metacarpal on his right hand on April 21, will continue ramping up his workouts and try to get a sense of how the hand responds to contact before making a decision, sources told ESPN. – ESPN.com

Miami Heat reach 2023 NBA Finals

Per the NY Times:

On Monday night at TD Garden, the Eastern Conference championship trophy for the NBA had made its way to the other team’s locker room. The trophy, a sterling silver replica of a basketball, was displayed atop a few packing trunks with metallic trim. The Miami Heat had earned it through a humbling 103-84 victory against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the conference finals.

Before a late-night flight to Denver, where they will play the Nuggets for the NBA title beginning Thursday, players and staff members stood in front of the trophy while wearing N.B.A. finals hats and T-shirts to commemorate the team’s heroic struggle.

Everyone except the Heat was stunned by their resurgence as the East’s No. 8 seed. Coach Erik Spoelstra stayed with his plan even though the team was struggling throughout the regular season and losing almost as frequently as they were winning. They could get better, according to Spoelstra, if they kept their attention on the tasks at hand. It consisted of getting together after discouraging defeats, watching movies, and working hard in the gym.

“I think probably people can relate to this team,” Spoelstra said. “Professional sports is just kind of a reflection sometimes of life, that things don’t always go your way. The inevitable setbacks happen, and it’s how you deal with that collectively. There’s a lot of different ways that it can go: It can sap your spirit. It can take a team down, for whatever reason.

“With this group, it’s steeled us and made us closer and made us tougher.”

FULL ARTICLE

Celtics eliminated in Game 7 of 2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Per Boston.com:

The Celtics’ season came to an end in the most ideal, microcosmic way possible: they were on the cusp of something extraordinary but were unable to make the decisive step into history.

The Celtics had the appearance of a squad that should have been outstanding but never quite achieved it after their disastrous start. They were surprisingly subpar when playing the Hawks. To defeat the 76ers, they needed seven games. They lost two games at home to a Heat squad that couldn’t match their firepower, as is only natural.

On some level, it’s hard to blame the Celtics for their inability to come back from a 3-0 hole, just as it’s hard to blame them for losing the championship. After all, doing both has historically been challenging. NBA teams have attempted to come back after falling behind 3-0, but none have ever succeeded. Every year, only one squad out of 30 may claim the championship.

However, Monday’s defeat will stay with this team for a very long time, as will the Celtics’ detour from the Finals as a result of it. In recent years, the Celtics have played in a couple of those contests.

FULL ARTICLE

Jayson Tatum plays hurt, struggles in Celtics Game 7 loss to Heat

Per Boston.com:

On Monday night, a rowdy and fervent TD Garden crowd was quickly quieted.

Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ star player, collapsed to the parquet floor in agony just 34 seconds into a critical Game 7 versus the Heat.

Tatum rose to his feet and rolled his ankle on the landing while attempting to euro-step past Miami point guard Gabe Vincent.

Even though the All-NBA forward continued to play, the damage had already been done.

“I saw the video, I saw it after the game that I came down on my ankle. It’s tough, because it kind of impacted me the rest of the night,” Tatum said following Boston’s season-ending 103-84 loss to the Heat. “It swelled up and it was just frustrating that I was kind of like a shell of myself. It was tough to move. It was just frustrating, especially that [expletive] happened on the first play.”

FULL ARTICLE