Miami’s ‘snakehead’ that led to the destruction of the Clippers

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – Ace Miami Heat star Norman Powell led the team to a 140-123 victory over his former team in the Los Angeles Clippers, there were plenty of contributions in what ended up being a collective effort. With The Heat have a fully healthy roster, there was one player who was going to be the “head of the snake”, just as much in the team calling the point guards Davion Mitchell.

Mitchell has been outstanding this season and was even more so in Monday night’s win over Los Angeles, scoring 16 points on every shot from the field, including four 3-pointers, along with a whopping 12 assists. With a team-high +37 on the floor, Mitchell was the one who set up every player and was also the perfect player in Miami’s new offensive system, emphasizing the fast pace.

During Mitchell’s press conference, Powell would scream, “The first team!” as a way of asserting its defensive strength. Powell would explain to ClutchPoints how Mitchell is “the head of the snake,” while saying that something would be “wrong” if he wasn’t on the All-Defensive First Team.

“Just the energy and the effort and the multiple efforts that he gives every night defensively guarding his best player and taking on the challenge, taking them full court, physically, fighting through screens, sacrificing his body,” Powell said after scoring 30 points. “We feed off of it, making those plays every night.”

“I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder,” Powell continued. “I’ve been playing against Davion for a long time, even in the summer, he’s the same… He’s a student of the game, but he’s definitely first team. If they don’t have him in the first team, something’s wrong.”

The warmth Bam Adebayo on how Davion Mitchell is a “snakehead”

The Heat is Norman Powell and the starters are going to the bench
© Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

In an interview with ClutchPoints before the start of the season, Mitchell said he’s ready to “change the game” with the Heat, regardless of his role as a starter or off the bench. However, it will be difficult to bench a player like Mitchell who fits perfectly into the starting line-up, described as someone who “understand” what Miami is trying to accomplish offensively, as the head coach said Erik Spoelstra.

Another person on the Heat who called Mitchell to the team “snake head” is captain Bam Adebayo, who highlights the ability of the point guard in attack, but also in defense, which was crucial on Monday against star James Harden and others.

“We’re putting together a starting five where it’s hard to figure out what scheme we’re running defensively because we’re so active. And like I said, Davion is the main thing in this thing because he’s the first crack when he’s on the floor,” Adebayo told ClutchPoints after posting 27 points and 14 rebounds.

“It just makes his job easier. You know, we don’t make a lot of plays,” Adebayo continued later on Mitchell’s fit in the offense. “You don’t try to figure out, like, who needs the ball, like this offense is built for him, we’ve got number one pace, we all run, but it’s like he’s the head of the snake. When Davion gets the ball and he gets up the court like, it could literally be three dribbles, and it just puts the defense on its heels.”

Either way, it was a much-needed win against the Clippers for Miami, especially after Saturday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Heat are now 14-7 and now head into a two-game road trip starting Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.





2025-12-02 05:39:00

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