Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heat’s big three includes two players — and a coach
It is not your typical big three, at least not one quite deserving of capital letters. But to Miami-Heat newcomer Avery Bradley, it has become clear there is a three for all on the team to turn to when necessary.
Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo. Erik Spoelstra.
“I mean, their IQ is absolutely amazing,” Bradley said of Butler and Adebayo standing as the Heat’s leaders on the court. “I think a lot of that stems from the coach. Coach Spo, he gives the players free will to go out there and coach each other and just play free and fun.
“And I feel whenever you’re playing for a coach like that, that is able to fuel you with that positive reinforcement, it makes the game easier for you. You can just go out there and play the game.”
Bradley said that makes it easier for Butler and Adebayo to take over from there.
“Those guys not only are doing that, they have a high IQ. And so playing with them just makes the game easier for everyone, especially Jimmy,” Bradley said ahead of Wednesday night’s season opener against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center. “When he has the ball in his hands, he’s just directing people the entire time and you’re kind of just playing, playing fast and free.”
After spending last season with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, Bradley said he senses similar possibilities with the Heat.
“I think championship-caliber teams, a lot of it has to do with experience,” the 30-year-old defensive specialist said. “These guys played in the championship last year. They know what to expect to be able to get to that point of the season.
“Them losing the players that they had on their team last year, they were amazing players. Jae Crowder, just to name one of the guys. But us, who we’ve been able to add this year and who they already have as the pillars of this team, them being able to catch us up and make us a part of this culture, I do think we have an opportunity to put ourselves back in that same position.”
Zoned out
While the loss of forward Derrick Jones Jr., who left for the Portland Trail Blazers in free agency, removed a key component from the approach, Magic coach Steve Clifford said respect remains for the Heat’s zone defense.
“They play different zones. They move their guys around,” Clifford said. “Like we actually spent a lot of time [Tuesday] preparing for if they play with an odd front [3-2] or an event front [2-3].
“I think like in all aspects of the game, they’re extremely well coached. And they spend a lot of time with it. And they’ve developed a confidence level in their zone.”
Clifford said the Heat have taken the approach to another level.
“Most of the teams in this league,” Clifford said, “is when you come up and you give up a basket, they get out of the zone. And these guys have worked on it enough, and played it enough, so as you saw, even in the Finals, those first couple of games, it was almost their primary defense.
“I think what’s impressive about it, is it’s very hard at any level to develop a defensive mentality where you can play more than one defense well. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.”
Lessons learned
Asked about Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson further developing as defenders in the offseason, Spoelstra instead pointed to the end of last season.
“They did a big chunk of that improvement during the playoffs,” he said. “Any player development that you can do in this league preparing for a seven-game series, of all the challenges, of the great players, different schemes, the attention to detail, the accountability to every single possession, that was the 10X improvement there.
“I think the biggest thing, improvement from the last Finals game would be just sometimes when you get away from it, you come back, and things just seem to make more sense and the game slows down for you. And I think we’ve seen that from both of them.”
Holiday share
Former Heat player Glen Rice, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho were among those who were part of a contactless drivethrough holiday food and gift distribution Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena for local students and families from Miami-Dade County public schools.
The event was hosted by the Heat, PepsiCo, TD Bank, FedEx Express, and Comcast, with a gift bag that included JBL headphones, toys and other items.
The Heat also announced that in January the team and PepsiCo will collaborate to provide 1,000 meals throughout South Florida to families in need.