New look at home
Lineup and attitude different for opener in Miami
MIAMI — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he wanted something far different than what he saw in Wednesday’s season-opening loss. So he changed the lineup for Saturday’s home opener against the Indiana Pacers. And his players adjusted their attitude and aptitude.
The result was a 112-108 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena that took some of the sting off the shaky effort against the Orlando Magic two nights earlier, even with a harrowing close.
Forced to adjust with center Hassan Whiteside out with a bone bruise on his left knee, Spoelstra made a dramatic switch, also removing Kelly Olynyk from his starting unit and going with Jordan Mickey and James Johnson as his opening power rotation, alongside opening-night starters Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters.
The shakeup not only shook up the starting lineup but also revived the bench chemistry that had been so strong during the preseason.
After a shaky opening night, the starting backcourt of Dragic and Waiters regained their footing, with Dragic closing with 23 points and Waiters 19, not showing any of the ankle issues that had plagued him in
the opener. James Johnson and Richardson also had their moments, as well.
Then there was the spark off the bench provided by Olynyk, Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson, who helped spark a game-turning 15-2 run in the second period.
A year ago, the Heat blew a 19-point lead in their home opener against the Charlotte Hornets and this began to take on a similar look when the Pacers drew within 102-95 with just under 4 minutes to play.
But the Heat then got a driving basket from Waiters and a blocked shot from James Johnson to move up 104-95.
But sloppy offense by the Heat allowed the Pacers then to draw within 104-99 with 2:02 to play.
It got worse with 1:49 to play when Richardson was called for an offensive foul, but a steal and score by Waiters put the Heat back to a 106-99 lead.
It again was a five-point game with just under a minute to play when Dragic scored to put the Heat up 108-101.
Eventually, James Johnson got to the line with 38.5 seconds to play and the Heat up 108-103. With the Heat only 4 of 7 from the line to that point, Johnson made only the second of his foul shots for a 109-103 Heat lead.
Victor Oladipo followed with a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to bring Indiana within 109-106.
That sent Richardson to the line with 22.2 seconds to play for his first free throws of the night. Richardson made only the first for a 110-106 lead.
Forced to settle for a two-point shot, the Pacers got a floating runner from Cory Joseph with 12.9 seconds left to close within 110-108.
James Johnson then was sent back to the foul line with 11.7 seconds to play. At 1 of 3 from the line to that point he drained both to close out the scoring.
Even with Whiteside out, the Heat offered a strong enough showing in the paint against a Pacers roster lacking sidelined center Myles Turner.
“Hassan is not somebody you replace with one guy,” Spoelstra said about the approach in Whiteside’s absence. “We’ll make adjustments as we go.”
As for the length of that absence, Spoelstra said there are no absolutes, with Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul expected to miss a month with a bruised left knee of his own.
“It’s impossible to compare one player to another,” Spoelstra said, “and that’s why we’ll continue to work with Hassan and re-evaluate him every day.”
Spoelstra downplayed the shock to the system of losing Whiteside’s defense and offensive contributions.
“He doesn’t play 48 minutes a game,” he said, alluding to minutes previously being played without Whiteside, “and defensively our system has always been the same, whether he’s on the court, or not. It’s five guys working together to try to make it tough on the other team.
“Now, the nuances of how a different center may do it a little bit differently in the same system, that might be a little bit different, but the system will be the same.”
The starting lineup was anything but nuanced, with the sharp turn toward smaller ball with James Johnson and Mickey.
Udonis Haslem said he told the Heat’s big men not to try to be Whiteside.
“I mean, I just tell them all the time, ‘Don’t play like regular bigs. Use your speed, use you quickness, use your athleticism. That’s something that you have the ability to do,’” he said. “I tell them, ‘Don’t play at their level. Use your strength, your speed, your quickness, your agility. Use all those things to your advantage.’”
The team announced during the introductions that Dragic and James Johnson have joined Haslem as team captains this season.
The Heat pushed to an early five-point lead with the revised lineup, with Mickey contributing four points and five rebounds in playing the opening 6:59, but the Heat trailed 31-26 at the close of the first quarter after the Pacers got a seven-point bench boost from former Heat nemesis Al Jefferson.
But with Kelly Olynyk scoring 10 points to fuel a 15-2 run, the Heat were able to push to a 11-point lead midway through the second period and later take a 63-50 lead into the intermission.
The Heat then pushed their lead from there, with Indiana finally mounting their late charge.
The Pacers were coming off Friday night’s home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, not arriving to South Florida until 4:30 a.m. Saturday.