Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami HEAT Game Preview

The Miami HEAT host the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Get your tickets now! The HEAT fell to the Cavaliers 91-89 in their last meeting on Jan. 31. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM and television coverage is on TNT. You can also listen to the action live on 790 The Ticket.

1: What did you take away from the overtime loss to Indiana?

Couper Moorhead: It was an exciting, well-played game that ultimately came down to just a few shots – in other words it was a game from Miami’s 2017-18 regular season, their league-leading Clutch Game No. 50. But what stood out about this one was precisely those few game-changing shots at the end of the game.

As Miami used their regular assortment of late-game lineups with their regular coverage against an attacking, ball-dominant guard in Victor Oladipo. As they’ve done against that archetype of scorer lately, especially with Hassan Whiteside out with an injury, the HEAT hedged a little further out on the perimeter and pinched off driving lanes wherever possible by helping off perimeter shooters. Miami’s coverage is usually so exact, and their closeouts so good, that this has been an effective strategy against a number of teams. And even though he made the shot, if it forces Oladipo into a tough pull-up three at the end of the game, that’s a minor victory in itself. But the Pacers adjusted well in overtime, using that defensive hedge to hit Myles Turner in the middle of the floor, where he didn’t settle for the mid-range look and made a couple of nice, impactful passes – the most noteworthy of which was a cross-court look to Darren Collison for a corner three after the HEAT had helped off on the middle action. What Indiana did well there, too, was to place another screener, Thaddeus Young, on the block to give Collison an extra beat for his look. 

It wasn’t anything Miami did wrong. Their defensive coverage was generally sound and appropriate. But in tight, playoff-esque games like this you’re going to see good teams make good adjustments late in games. Indiana did that on Sunday, and it offers Miami an extra bit of data with which to prepare for April.

Joe Beguiristain: Despite the loss, the HEAT are starting to figure out what it’s going to take late in games during the postseason. While it’s true that Miami has played in tight matchups all year, business has picked up over the past week or so with teams forging ahead towards the playoffs.

In particular on Sunday, the HEAT did a solid job defensively against a Pacers squad that’s nearly as balanced as them. For starters, Miami managed the pick-and-roll quite well and kept Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner in check for most of the night. Naturally, Josh Richardson impressed the most when guarding Oladpio and held him to just 2-of-7 shooting and three turnovers. Turner, meanwhile, scored just seven points on 1-of-8 shooting thanks to Bam Adebayo’s presence. As a whole, the HEAT kept the Pacers’ shot quality low all evening (expected effective field goal percentage of 49.8) and made things very difficult for them.  

All that said, Indiana turned things around in overtime and Darren Collison hit some big shots down the stretch to seal the deal. While Dwyane Wade did his best to combat that with some fantastic passes and finishes inside, it just wasn’t enough in the end.

2: What has proven so difficult about the Cavaliers through two games and two losses for Miami?

Couper: In what will end up being a three-game series with Cleveland this regular season, it seems that for how in flux Miami’s lineup has been they will end up playing three completely different Cavaliers teams. In the first outing, Cleveland was without Tristan Thompson, Isaiah Thomas had yet to play a game and Kevin Love was starting at center. It was Love who made the greatest and earliest impact, stretching out Miami’s defense with a number of early threes, attacking the offensive glass, posting up mismatches on switches and generally being the catalyst for Cleveland scoring 75 points in the first half (to Miami’s 49). At that point, the game was essentially over and both teams emptied their benches fairly early.

In the second game, a two-point Cleveland win, Thomas and Thompson were now both starting and Love was out with an injury. This one was played much more at Miami’s pace and to Miami’s usual blueprint, with neither team generating much offensive traction as each possession was at a premium. Cleveland only shot 35 percent from the field, including 2-of-15 from Thomas (before he started rounding into shape a bit more after being traded to the Lakers), but Miami had their worst shooting game of the season going 3-of-28 from downtown. It was an ugly game, one of the last Cleveland would play before totally revamping their rotation, and like so many other Heat games, it came down to the final possession.

Was there a common thread there? Not so much, especially given how much of an outlier defensive performance that second game was for Cleveland, but if there’s anything that sticks out as something to watch for from those games it’s how much of a challenge Love presented in that first meeting. Love isn’t starting at center anymore, but that’s a potent look Cleveland will always have in its pocket.

James, fresh off yet another Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award, has been on an absolute tear of late. Over the past seven outings, James is averaging a triple-double with 33.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game on 60.1 percent shooting. At the same time on the defensive end, the 33-year-old has locked down all five positions as usual. In other words, LeBron has been LeBron.

With the playoffs on the horizon, this is the time of year when James seemingly flips a switch and goes into absolute beast mode. Luckily enough for Miami, Wade always brings a little extra when going up against one of his best friends. We should be in for a very fun night.

3: How will Cleveland’s new additions affect this matchup?

Couper: The Cavaliers’ moves at the trade deadline were all encompassing, acquiring Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Lakers, George Hill from the Sacramento Kings and Rodney Hood from the Utah Jazz while sending out Thomas, Jae Crowder, Channing Frye and Iman Shumpert – and of course trading Dwyane Wade to Miami. For a team in championship contention, that’s as severe an overhaul as you’re ever going to see around the trade deadline.

Has it worked? Cleveland is the No. 3 offense (114.5 per 100) and No. 18 defense (109.1 per 100) since the trade deadline, and both rankings are improvements over where they were before. Nance in particular has been a fascinating addition as he’s starting at center and the team has an elite defensive rating of 102.4 with him on the floor. It’s only 355 minutes so far, but that’s a major deal for a team that had struggled defensively.

Otherwise, the trades gave the Cavaliers more shooters to put around LeBron James, which history has proven to be as good a formula as any in this league. That makes it even more difficult for Miami to pull off the type of paint-centric coverage we discussed earlier regarding Indiana. Nobody is better than finding the shooter being helped off of than James, which puts even more pressure on James Johnson and Justise Winslow to stay in front of him and allow Miami to cover those shooters. Cleveland still has holes to attack defensively, but they can put strain on a defense like few other teams. 

Joe: After a lackluster start, Cleveland made wholesale changes at the trade deadline and acquired four new players. Amongst them, George Hill has really made his presence felt, as the Cavaliers have scored 118.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. In addition to being able to hit spot-up threes, Hill can also make plays off the dribble both for himself and for his teammates. What’s more, the 31-year-old has already shown good chemistry with James in their short time playing together. Above all else though, Hill’s experience and veteran savvy should go a long way for Cleveland in the postseason.   

With Hill and a bunch of capable shooters now in the fray for the Cavaliers, the HEAT really have to defend the three-point line with discipline. Miami has done a great job of limiting attempts from beyond the arc all season long (especially the corners), but Cleveland is a whole different animal.

INJURY UPDATE: Bam Adebayo is out with a right ankle sprain.

Highlights:

Jan. 31 – HEAT at Cavaliers 

Nov. 28 – HEAT at Cavaliers

Game Notes:

Efficiencies (Rank):