12-15-2019, 05:14 PM
My takes:
1. KP can’t shoot while getting bumped. Miami bumped him or worse every time they could. Because NBA reffing is an "art," he can’t expect help until he "earns" it (by playing better or moving to LA).
2. Brunson subbed in as Luka lite. He went for 18/7/8 despite getting just 2 free throws. And he would’ve had 2 freebies to win it had the refs merely made the one call that the league has since admitted they blew. Any criticism of JB fails to appreciate the role he was asked to fill here. A role he was surprisingly capable of filling tonight, if not quite successfully. (His +14 on the night not a fluke.)
3. The Heat played a very physical game. Very physical. As if setting screens with a pulling lineman. They were rewarded (somehow) with twice the free throws that Dallas got. The ghost of Dwayne Wade was in attendance.
4. For a few late-first-quarter minutes, THJ looked like he was trying to fill Luka's shoes. It wasn’t pretty. (Neither were Wright's injury-excused efforts.) But after a perhaps-related stint on the bench, Hardaway returned to recent form, providing unforced shot making and tenacious defensive effort. His shooting touch (and Maxi's) turned a blowout into must-see TV. Reply stream for me, as I got to watch in person for the first time this season.
5. Bam Adebayo is little—speaking of the in-person view. That was the biggest surprise of the night to me. Much more obvious in person than on film. He’s Harrison Barnes sized. Dwight makes him look like a guard.
1. KP can’t shoot while getting bumped. Miami bumped him or worse every time they could. Because NBA reffing is an "art," he can’t expect help until he "earns" it (by playing better or moving to LA).
2. Brunson subbed in as Luka lite. He went for 18/7/8 despite getting just 2 free throws. And he would’ve had 2 freebies to win it had the refs merely made the one call that the league has since admitted they blew. Any criticism of JB fails to appreciate the role he was asked to fill here. A role he was surprisingly capable of filling tonight, if not quite successfully. (His +14 on the night not a fluke.)
3. The Heat played a very physical game. Very physical. As if setting screens with a pulling lineman. They were rewarded (somehow) with twice the free throws that Dallas got. The ghost of Dwayne Wade was in attendance.
4. For a few late-first-quarter minutes, THJ looked like he was trying to fill Luka's shoes. It wasn’t pretty. (Neither were Wright's injury-excused efforts.) But after a perhaps-related stint on the bench, Hardaway returned to recent form, providing unforced shot making and tenacious defensive effort. His shooting touch (and Maxi's) turned a blowout into must-see TV. Reply stream for me, as I got to watch in person for the first time this season.
5. Bam Adebayo is little—speaking of the in-person view. That was the biggest surprise of the night to me. Much more obvious in person than on film. He’s Harrison Barnes sized. Dwight makes him look like a guard.