Heat copes with added restrictions to life on road
Like most things in life, NBA road trips look different during a pandemic.
As part of the additional measures the NBA and National Basketball Players Association implemented last week in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases across the country and the rise in positive tests within the league leading to numerous postponed games, players and team staff are now prohibited from leaving their hotel (other than for team activities or emergencies) or interacting with nonteam guests at the hotel until further notice.
Playing the second of a fourgame trip Friday night in Tampa against the Toronto Raptors, the Heat is living that new NBA road life. Miami finishes the trip with two games in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday and Monday against the Nets.
“The walk from the bus, the 30 steps from the bus into the arena, is like the highlight of your day now,” Heat center Kelly Olynyk said with a laugh.
Thursday would have usually been a day off for the Heat in the middle of a stretch of three road games in four nights, which includes a back-to-back set that began Friday against the Raptors in Tampa and ends Saturday against the Nets in Brooklyn (8 p.m., Fox Sports Sun, NBA TV).
But the Heat opted to practice Thursday in Tampa, giving players, coaches and staff an opportunity to get out of the hotel and clear their heads.
“This is a challenge for everybody,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think something as rudimentary as getting on a bus and going to practice becomes eventful even if you’re not really planning on doing anything or even on a day where we have a back-to-back, we probably are going to do that just to get out of the hotel.”
Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa is about to return to a place he once called home. He spent most of his high school years in the New York City area after moving from Nigeria to the United States when he was in the eighth grade.
But the weekend trip to Brooklyn for two games against the Nets hardly feels like a return home with the protocols in place.
“It doesn’t even feel like going back to New York, honestly, with everything going on right now,” Achiuwa said. “I actually haven’t
thought about it like that. We aren’t able to leave our hotels. I don’t even know if they’re letting people into the games. So obviously right now, it’s just such a different atmosphere. It doesn’t even feel like I’m going back to New York. It’s just another game, really.”
Before the NBA announced additional COVID-19 health and safety guidelines last week, teams were allowed to leave the hotel to eat at outside restaurants. The NBA and players association had made a list of approved restaurants in each market that
agreed to meet the league’s specific health and safety protocols.
BAM ISO?
With about four minutes to play in Wednesday’s win over the Raptors, the Heat cleared the way for a Bam Adebayo isolation. Adebayo (6-9, 255) drove into the paint and attracted multiple Toronto defenders, threw a pass to the far corner for an open Goran Dragic three-pointer to push Miami’s lead to 12.
It was an impressive play from Adebayo, who continues to grow his dynamic offensive game.
“At that point in the game,” Spoelstra said. “We do that periodically just when we want to simplify or teams that are switching and flattening us out. He has that ability with his skill set now, but more importantly his size and his vision are really unique for a center. Those are cross-court plays to wide open three-point shooters that we’ve seen before with another great player that we had of similar size. But he’s unique because he’s doing it at the center position.”
That other great (former) Heat player of a similar size? Likely LeBron James (6-9, 250).
Heat guard Tyler Herro returned to practice Thursday but was sent back to Miami with a neck injury. Avery Bradley, Jimmy Butler and Meyers Leonard missed their sixth consecutive games.
In addition, Heat center Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) didn’t play Friday. Guards Gabe Vincent (right knee soreness) and Dragic (right foot contusion) both saw action.
For the Raptors, guard Kyle Lowry (right foot soreness) didn’t play; forward Pascal Siakam (left groin soreness) did and scored 16 points.