Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A winning combination
Heat, Spoelstra appear to have finally found an effective starting lineup
MIAMI —The Miami Heat have spun their wheel of lineups 23 times this season, but only the combination of 20-11-0-9-13 has produced a true fantasy five.
Those numbers belong to Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo. For all the lineups Erik Spoelstra has churned through amid his team’s injuries and uneven play, it is this latest grouping that has been most efficient in the standings.
The Heat are 6-2 with that opening unit, which also is Maimi’s record in its last eight games.
“It always takes time to find a lineup that’s very effective, but I think we’re getting to a good point now,” Richardson said, as the Heat turned their attention to Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“So hopefully we can keep it moving like that going forward. I think we’ve been developing that for a little while.”
The five-man unit has been particularly efficient offensively, posting a 107.6 rating and an overall net rating that has the Heat outscoring the opposition by 12.9 points per 100 possessions with that quintet. The grouping now has been utilized for 120.5 minutes this season, the second-highest total of any of Spoelstra’s alignments.
The unit came together in the wake of the hip injury that sidelined former starting center Hassan Whiteside for three games while former starting point guard Goran Dragic was working his way back from December knee surgery.
“Our starting lineup has had some good starts and plays trending in the right direction,” Spoelstra said.
No trends were better than the 8-0 start to Wednesday night’s 108-74 victory over the Detroit Pistons or the 21-0 burst by that group at the start of the second half.
“That was as inspiring as they’ve been,” Spoelstra said. “The collective unit set the tone. They were flying around.”
With less than a month to play before the April 10 close of the regular season, Winslow said there is a collective urgency with the unit.
“We don’t have time to waste and say, ‘A couple of weeks from now we’re going to get things going,’ ” he said. “We want to get things going right now. So that’s kind of the approach.”
Then came Wednesday night.
“That group has been pretty good for us for the most part,” Winslow said. “There’s been times this season where we’ve had those glitches, three-minute glitches, but, yeah, for sure we want to make that group work. And [Wednesday] was a prime example of what that starting group was capable of.”
Waiters said the alignment allows him to get on the ball a bit more often.
“That’s what I like; that’s what I do,” he said. “Everybody needs the ball at times, and I’m able to go out there and make plays for myself and others.
“I’m able to get in the paint when I want to. And [when] guys are making cuts, I’m able to make that pass.”
Waiters said everything just feels right.
“I think we like playing with each other, as you could see,” he said. “We talk. When guys miss shots, we’re encouraging them, [by saying], ‘Good shot, great pass.’ We’re looking for each other right now. It’s unselfish.
“Just knowing where each other is on the floor, getting each other to spots we belong [is helping].”
Adebayo said it is as if the lineup has been months in the making.
“We’ve been on the same team for two years now,” he said. “You know people’s tendencies, so it’s not like it’s something new. We’ve got to all be together as one while helping each other exceed individual talents.
“So [being] out there together, we’re helping each other grow that faith. We’re developing each other. We all trust each other.
“We’re jelling at the right time. We’re out there just having fun, [playing] with a lot of energy [and] making open shots.”