Miami's mercenaries
Where do the Heat keep finding these guys?
Nobody embodies the "next man up" mindset as well as the Miami Heat. Pat Riley probably flies his players to Cuba before each season, takes their passports and their shoes and hands them a tarp, some rope, and a knife before grabbing them by the face and saying, “See you at practice next Tuesday, 4:30 am, sharp. Do not let me down.”
Duncan Robinson uncharacteristically struggling? Just plug in Max Strus. Hit by the health and safety protocols? Just unearth a gem in Kyle Guy (now signed to a two-way deal). And if you happen to loose a blossoming franchise cornerstone in Bam Adebayo, don't fret. Just plug Omer Yurtseven into the hive-mind and watch as he seamlessly acclimates to the Miami way. Yurtseven is averaging 13.6 points and 13.9 rebounds per game over the last ten games and has more than adequately spelled Adebayo. The fact that this last addition comes with the ancillary benefit of making Doc Rivers extra cranky is just a bonus.
After wobbling their way to a 14-11 start, the Heat have turned it up by leaning on their cast of previous unknowns and their Navy Seal-level conditioning. Since the "Bambi learning to walk" portion of their season, the Heat have gone 13-5. And yes, there are some empty calories in the diet (facing Detroit, Orlando, and Atlanta twice, as well as Houston, Indiana, Washington and Portland). But they beat the Suns, played Golden State tight on the second night of a back-to-back, all with their skeleton crew. These guys just don't quit.
It's an ethos built and infused from the leadership on down. Pat Riley was a role player in the NBA who had to fight and scrap for everything he had. He's the quintessential grinder, and he's surrounded himself with like-minded people. Organizationally, the Heat just don't have an off switch. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Riley, Andy Ellisburg (GM), and Chad Kammerer (head of scouting) wake up every morning at 2am to watch clips of some game from the Polish league because they heard about some kid who supposedly sets the most beautiful screens with the lowest, widest leg-base they've ever found.
The Heat have surged to the fourth best point differential (+5.0) with both their offense and defense in the top 10 (offense is 3rd, defense is 8th). The defense has slipped over the last two weeks (ranking 15th over a six game stretch — all data per Cleaning The Glass).
But Bam Adebayo is healthy just in time to lock down that side of the ball before the All-Star break. Bam, Butler and Herro helped secure a win against Toronto that left them tied for first in the East.
The Heat don't feature the top-end talent of the other high profile teams in the East, but I guarantee you that none of them will be excited to draw Miami in the playoffs. Are you really betting against Riley and his band of underdogs and mercenaries? These guys don't blink. They don't stop. And they'll fight you until the last breath.
About last night…
The NBA has tied themselves to Martin Luther King Day, and it's awesome. 13 games, nonstop basketball, hearing stories and positive messages from players and coaches all day... the league did a really good job.
First, the tweet:
LeBron and the Lakers delivered on their promise, getting the biggest win of the season so far with a 101-95 victory over the Utah Jazz. James was his usual self, scoring 25 with seven rebounds and seven assists. Stanley Johnson's 15 points (7-9 FG) were an awesome spark off the bench. Speaking of sparks, nobody has shined brighter in a single flash for LA this season than Russell Westbrook, whose dunk over Rudy Gobert last night felt like exorcism:
That's a big win for the Lakers. Anthony Davis figures to be back sometime soon. That would be an even bigger win for the Lakers.
NBA scuffles are a bit weak. Players aren't trying to lose money. So when they do happen, other players want to protect the brotherhood and make sure nobody gets hurt, fined or suspended. Steven Adams knows this, and promptly carried Tony Bradley from the situation:
Ja Morant can fight. Or so he says. It doesn't really matter, because if someone comes near him, he can spin out of trouble. Morant is the NBA's closest thing to a Super Smash Bros. character:
Scores, stats, & notes
Celtics 104, Pelicans 92 — Tatum, Brown, and Schroder combined to shoot 26-51 and scored 73 of their 104 points. That's a good sign!
Hornets 97, Knicks 87 — MB returned to his November performances. 38 points on 14-20 FG, 12 rebounds, and five assists at Madison Square Garden.
Wizards 117, Sixers 98 — Embiid scored 32, Maxey scored 18, and the rest of the Sixers fell short. Thomas Bryant is looking good for Washington! Also:
Cavaliers 114, Nets 107 — Darius Garland continues to be awesome. 22 & 12 against a former Cavaliers' superstar point guard. They look eerily similar here:
Grizzlies 119, Bulls 106 — The Grizzlies are 31-15, 9-1 in their last ten games. The Bulls, shorthanded without Ball, Caruso, and LaVine, are searching for answers.
Clippers 139, Pacers 133 — Nic Batum entered the time machine and came out scoring 32 points in a game in 2022.
Hawks 121, Bucks 114 — Atlanta stormed back into this one. Trae looked great. De'Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okungwu are real, impactful players for them. It came down to free throws: The Hawks made 30, the Bucks attempted 24.
Trail Blazers 98, Magic 88 — Nurkic scored 21 and pulled down 22 boards.
Heat 104, Raptors 99 — This is assault:
Mavericks 104, Thunder 102 — Luka is starting to turn it on. 20 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists. Jason Kidd deserves credit for starting Jalen Brunson with Luka and moving Tim Hardaway Jr. to the bench. SGA's 34 points led OKC.
Suns 121, Spurs 107 — Devin Booker scored 48. It's the Suns' third game in four days, and Booker is averaging 37.7 points on 53% from the field over the last three.
Lakers 101, Jazz 95 — Good for the Lakers, man.