What Erik Spoelstra loved from Miami after the huge win over the Knicks

ByNBAUSA


MIAMI – After The Miami Heat blew out the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday to pick up its first win of the season, the team followed that up with an early victory over the New York Knicks in Sunday’s home opener, 115-107. Despite that The Heat are surrounded by rumors involving the arrest of Terry Rozier since last thursday, the team has been motivated to move forward and refocus on basketball, leading to a huge win.

Although faced with early adversity, Miami showed its mettle and once again displayed a new look on offense with its fast pace and style that allows players to play freely. Head coach Erik Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints after the game that while “it wasn’t a great game” in terms of their performance, “Competitive spirit” is what stood out to him.

“That was the competitive spirit of our guys,” Spoelstra said. “Obviously we saw that in the Orlando game, and the guys are totally committed to that collective competitive edge, and it wasn’t a great game on our part, but that competitive spirit, you can do a lot of things with that. You can get a lot of faith from that; you can weather some storms. And when we were able to come back, we were able to get back on the court, we had to do even better on the court. glass, but these are lessons that are much better when you win. I respect that, that commitment from the locker room right now.”

Anyway, here’s a look at each half in Miami’s early win over New York:

Heat overcomes adversity, goes toe-to-toe with Knicks

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) recovers a loose ball against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As it is The Heat’s new offense is on full display in the first two games of the season, he was mostly at a standstill in the first quarter against the Knicks. As the team looks to maintain the up-tempo and fast-paced nature of its offense, New York had the right idea to increase its man-to-man defensive pressure, clogging up every driving lane in Miami’s sight, leading to reckless shots.

however, Norman Powell would keep the ship afloat with 13 points in the period, but the other side saw Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby post 11 and 10 points in the period. While the first quarter saw the Heat trying to get back to what made them successful in the first two games, they got back to it in the second quarter, turning up the heat on defense, playing at a pace they like, resulting in 33 points in the period.

They had eight points in transition and shot 57.9 percent from the field (11-of-19), while making four of nine three-point attempts, three of which came from rookie Simone Fontecchio, who continues to make an impact. In the second quarter, Bam Adebayo was also more aggressive in the attack, scoring nine points and collecting five rebounds.

Miami would take a three-point lead into halftime against New York, considered by some to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. One eye-opening stat would be the 16 points the Heat had on fast break opportunities, showing an emphasis on the fast game.

Get a deal in the second half against the Knicks

While it is The Heat were not afraid of their first loss to the Orlando Magic last Wednesday, it’s easy to see why, as the team’s confidence in their new identity showed through three games. There is a clear focus on what the team wants their identity to be, especially after Miami finished at the bottom of the league in offensive rating and pace over the past five seasons.

Although a small sample, Miami had a pace of 112.3 possessions per 48 minutes, the fastest in the league, and also ranked third in the NBA with 24 rushing points. The Heat kept going in the third quarter of the game, as while it was initially a slug fest at the start of the second half, Miami appeared to overtake the Knicks.

Miami blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter to stun the Knicks, and while it was a blur toward the end, the Heat stayed on their court, hitting some key players like Andrew Wiggins’ late 3-pointer or alley-oop that Adebayo to close the deal. Powell led the team with 29 points, while Adebayo had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds with key layups Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17 points) and Simone Fontecchio (14 points).

With the win, the team is now 2-1 in the early season, looking to build on the winning streak on Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets.





2025-10-27 03:03:00

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