Two identities, one loss
5-man substitution yields inefficient results for Heat
NEW YORK — The Miami Heat’s arc of development again arrived five by five in Thursday night’s 107-88 preseason loss to the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, this time drowning in inefficiency.
Just as he did in Sunday’s preseason-opening victory over the Atlanta Hawks at American-Airlines Arena, coach Erik Spoelstra substituted in an entire new five-man lineup before the end of Thursday’s opening period and the returned the first five as a unit midway through the second period.
The results were uneven and inefficient, with Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic strong with their play, but James Johnson and Dion Waiters decidedly off.
Spoelstra said he stayed with Sunday’s starting unit of Whiteside, James Johnson, Rodney McGruder, Waiters and Dragic, because, “They wanted to have another crack at it because they played so poorly the other night.”
It looked even worse this time.
Spoelstra then rotated in the same second unit he did Sunday, with Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson and Wayne Ellington in-
serted incrementally.
Spoelstra eventually experimented with Richardson running with the starters and later reunited last season’s bench tandem of Johnson & Johnson, which provided a brief thirdperiod lift.
Whiteside closed with 19 points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes, with Dragic adding 12 points. But there also was 1-of-8 shooting each from Waiters and Winslow, and just two points from James Johnson. Tyler Johnson led the Heat with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Spoelstra said even with a third of the Heat’s condensed six-game exhibition schedule over, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s committed to the dual-lineups approach.
“We’ll see,” he said. “I’ll be open to whatever is successful. I don’t want to be married to what we’ve done in the past. Every team is different. This team might have a different personality, but, ultimately, the games and the productive minutes will tell us which way we go.”
Spoelstra said he appreciates that dividing the minutes among so many players could lead to a lack of continuity for players attempting to develop rhythm.
“I think everybody feels comfortable when you get in a rhythm and you’re not platooning, even with four guys at a time,” he said, “but, again, this team may be different. I’ll be open to whatever is successful.”
Spoelstra eventually got to that lineup late in the second period with Richardson at small forward in place of McGruder, which had been speculated as a possible starting alternative.
Unlike Hubie Brown’s unique approach during his tenure leading the Memphis Grizzlies, Spoelstra has — almost — never gone with two distinct units.
“I don’t know. Who knows?” he said. “I want to be open to all the possibilities with this team.”
Spoelstra actually was forced to do exactly that during a comeback victory last season over the Nets at Barclays Center.
“Coincidentally, we actually had to platoon,” he said. “Our starters were playing so bad last year in Brooklyn, we subbed them all out. That’s probably one of the few times that we’ve actually done that.”
Spoelstra has in past years sprinkled in a healthy dose of fringe players into road exhibitions. But with the team’s preseason schedule reduced from eight to six games due to the earlier start to the season, he has adjusted to the new reality.
“We have to fast track like everybody in the league is doing right now,” he said.
Whether he gets to his desired rotation is another story, with yet another uneven start Thursday by his opening lineup.
“The priority, is going to be trying to find a comfortable rotation to start the season,” he said, with the regular season opening Oct. 18 for the Heat at the Amway Center against the Orlando Magic. “Obviously it’ll probably change as we get into the season. I don’t even know if it’ll be an absolute decision 13 days from now.”
The Heat will get a preview of that regular-season opener Saturday when they face that Magic at Amway, at the midpoint of their preseason.