The Miami HEAT face the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night at Target Center.
The HEAT fell to the Timberwolves 125-122 in OT in their last meeting on Oct.
30. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM. Television coverage on FOX Sports Sun begins at
7:30 PM. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.
1: What impressed you the most about Miami’s streak-ending win over Boston?
Couper Moorhead: It was all about the defense. Miami held Boston to its lowest
Shot Quality score of the season, and nothing about that was a mistake. Yes, the
Celtics committed some reasonably unforced errors, but the HEAT were the
aggressors the entire night as they were every bit as physical and energetic on
Wednesday that they weren’t in the previous loss to Indiana. Better yet, even
though the defensive focus was present throughout the lineup it was good to see
the second unit – joined usually by either Dion Waiters or Josh Richardson – be
largely responsible for the most significant scoring spread in the game as
Boston had great difficulty generating clean and consistent offense. Second-unit
defense was a huge part of this team’s identity last season and the more they
can get back to that the better off everyone will be.
Yes, Boston did eventually go on a 16-2 run to make it a real game after Miami
had led for most of the evening, but that’s been their identity all season as
they’ve regularly dug themselves out of holes. For the HEAT’s part, they never
panicked defensively and kept grinding possessions out to allow for a pair of
Dion Waiters threes to be the difference makers.
Joe Beguiristain: Miami’s sharpness and focus on both ends really impressed me.
For starters, the HEAT got back to their identity and played stout defense
against the Celtics. In particular, Justise Winslow defended Al Horford very
well and Josh Richardson did a great job of making things tough on both Jayson
Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Hassan Whiteside, meanwhile, did a nice job of rotating
and helping out his teammates. Thanks to all that, Boston shot just 41.7 percent
on the night.
While Miami’s defense was superb, the team’s offensive execution was perhaps
just as impressive. Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters played great and combined for
53 points, but the HEAT’s role players also got the job done. Winslow showed
some nifty moves inside, Tyler Johnson kept Boston on its heels with a varied
approach and Kelly Olynyk scored all six of his points in the fourth quarter.
Simply put, Miami wasn’t fazed at all by the Celtics’ No. 1 rated defense or
16-game winning streak heading into the night.
2: What did we learn from the first matchup with Minnesota?
Couper: That for as talented as the Timberwolves are – they’ll be a Top 10
offense all season as long as they stay healthy – they can still be a bit of a
work in progress on the defensive end. Even though the HEAT shot just 7-of-27
from deep in that first game, they still shot over 52.7 percent thanks to
driving lanes to the rim being regularly open. Dion Waiters, in fact, set career
highs in both makes and attempts at the rim as he and Andrew Wiggins traded
haymaker drives down the stretch of regulation and overtime. That said,
Minnesota’s defense has been trending in a more positive direction lately and
they’ve been more than solid whenever starter Taj Gibson is on the floor, so
Miami shouldn’t expect to simply walk into easy points. This is still a Tom
Thibodeau team after all.
Joe: We learned that the Timberwolves can attack you with a bunch of different
weapons. Even though Miami held Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler in check for the
most part (the duo combined for 38 points on just 12-of-36 shooting), Jeff
Teague hit some big buckets late to give Minnesota the win in overtime.
That said, the HEAT had a lot of success on the offensive end against the
Timberwolves. Like on Wednesday against Boston, Dragic played very well in the
first half before Waiters took over late in the contest. In fact, Waiters was
the one who forced overtime with a blow-by drive against Butler.
However, as Coup stated above, Minnesota’s defense has greatly improved since
its last matchup with Miami on Oct. 30. In fact, the Timberwolves have tallied
the 10th best defensive rating since that point, as they’ve given up 102.8
points per 100 possessions in their last 11 games.
While things could be a bit tougher on the offensive end for the HEAT this time
around, they’ll always give themselves a chance to win if they stay committed to
their defensive principles.
3: How will Hassan Whiteside’s presence affect this game?
Couper: Erik Spoelstra had to literally throw Bam Adebayo to the wolves when
Whiteside was available last time out, a tough matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns
for any player much less a rookie. With Whiteside ready to go Miami’s rotation
will be back in its comfort zone. Towns can still stretch Whiteside out
defensively as well as just about any center in the league as Towns can not only
shoot from outside but he can shoot on the move, coming off screens and setting
his feet like Wayne Ellington. But Whiteside did very well Wednesday evening
managing pick-and-roll defense while still getting out to Al Horford on the
perimeter, so if he brings that same intensity Friday night then he’ll be doing
his job regardless of whether or not Towns hits some contested jumpers. And on
the other end of the floor, if Whiteside is setting hard screens then Miami’s
guards will be able to get going downhill against a defense that doesn’t
consistently bring help to the middle of the floor.
Joe: Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the premier big men in the game, but Whiteside
has a significant weight and strength advantage on the 22-year-old. With that in
mind, Whiteside should be able to do some damage in the paint, especially off
his usual rim-runs and put-backs.
On the defensive end though, the 28-year-old will certainly have his hands full
with Towns. The former Kentucky Wildcat can knock down shots from the perimeter
(he’s shooting 37.5 percent from deep) and finish around the rim with ease.
Still, Whiteside has been quite active defensively over the past week and has
taken his role seriously as the team’s anchor on that end.
All in all, it should be a fun matchup to watch between two guys who don’t play
against each other all that much.
Highlights:
Oct. 30 – Timberwolves at HEAT
March 17 – Timberwolves at HEAT
Game Notes:
Efficiencies (Rank):
Player: Bam Adebayo
Player: Goran Dragic
Player: Tyler Johnson
Player: Kelly Olynyk
Player: Josh Richardson
Player: Dion Waiters
Player: Hassan Whiteside
Player: Justise Winslow
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/heat/preview-miamin-171124
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Miami Heat, Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic, Tyler
Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Justise
Winslow, Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat
Media Thumbnail:
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Taxonomy: Game Preview
Story Link: http://www.nba.com/heat/preview-miamin-171124
