Cup of Joe: Showing Mental Toughness

Well, we knew the blowouts weren’t going to last forever.

When we were in this space two weeks ago, the HEAT had only played in three clutch games during their first 19 contests. (Clutch is defined as a five-point game in the last five minutes.)

But in the seven matchups since then, Miami has been in six. And more often than not, the team has found success.

Thanks to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro, among others, the HEAT are 7-2 overall in clutch games, including a perfect 5-0 in overtime.

Let’s find out how they’ve done it below.

Before we go any further, I have to warn you that these numbers are pretty insane.

Ready?

Ok, so, in OT, Miami is limiting the opposition to a paltry 8-of-43 shooting (18.6 percent) and outscoring its foes by a whopping 39 points as a result. What’s more, the HEAT have tallied 20 second-chance points in the extra period, which is a testament to their conditioning.

“We have a super-high conditioning level,” Erik Spoelstra said. “We have a toughness level. We have Type A, competitive guys. They’re going to pay attention those last three, four minutes.”

You know who’s really, really paid attention in the last three, four minutes? Heck, the whole darn game?

Adebayo, of course.

Seriously, though, the HEAT’s rising star has been absolutely incredible of late. Sure, he’s notched two triple-doubles in his last three games, including an all-around career performance against the Hawks on Dec. 10, but he’s continued to do all the little things that impact winning.

“He’s facilitating a lot of offense for us. He’s anchoring our defense with Jimmy, guarding one through five,” Spoelstra said. “He has a lot on his plate, playing more minutes than he’s ever played before. And I just want him to embrace all of these different challenges and not get comfortable, which he doesn’t have that kind of mentality.”

Butler had similar things to say about Adebayo.

“When you’re talking about defending one through five, he does that. You talk about pinpoint passes, he does that,” the 30-year-old vet said. “Finding guys in rhythm, knowing the scouting report of everybody. Man, he’s scary whenever he’s locked in like that. And his energy, his preparation is contagious. He’s making sure everybody around here is doing that.”

Due to that never-ending energy and preparation, Adebayo has continued to free up his guys with effective dribble-handoffs and precise passes off the dribble, finish plays inside and wreak havoc defensively with traps and stout man defense.

To get a whole picture of his complete game, check this out:

Oh yeah, he’s also been doing all this while fighting through some bumps and bruises. Then again, his current streak of 112 consecutive games should prove that he’s as dependable as it gets.

While Adebayo has been fantastic defensively, we can’t forget about Derrick Jones Jr.

Since returning from injury on Dec. 1, the 22-year-old has fared well in multiple defensive looks against guys like Pascal Siakam, Bradley Beal, Lauri Markkanen, Trae Young, LeBron James and Kristaps Porziņģis.

That’s a daunting list.

All told, Jones Jr. is limiting his defensive assignments to 40 percent shooting, including an unreal 25.7 percent from deep.

“When he’s healthy and he’s able to get out there with the guys, he’s a really impactful defensive player,” Spoelstra said. “In a totally different way than Bam, but he’s one through five. But really active, really quick. He moves great, and he takes pride in his defense.”

Here are some of Airplane Mode’s best defensive plays over the past two weeks:

-As been the case all season, Butler has pretty much done it all for the HEAT.

Not only did he record triple-doubles against the Raptors, Wizards and Hawks (including a career-high 18 boards vs Atlanta), but he also scored a season-high 37 points and tied a career-high with six made triples in Boston.

But above all else, he’s been able to make plays down the stretch when his team needs him the most.

“He loves those moments,” Spoelstra said. “That’s something that’s tough to teach, so regardless of what’s happening during the course of the game, whether he’s played well or not, when it really gets to those last three or four minutes in a close game, he just has that rare ability to go to a different level and separate himself from the crowd. And that might not be scoring. It might be three defensive stops in a row…it might be setting up a teammate. It might be a big-time rebound in traffic…defense, offense, generating looks for us and scoring the ball, which we need him to do.”

-Speaking of scoring the ball, Robinson has come through with career outings time and time again this year.

That said, nothing touches his historic performance against the Hawks on Dec. 10 when he tied a franchise record with 10 made treys. Yes, 10.

Hopefully, we’ll be talking about more records when we meet again.

Until next time.