![]() ![]() "If you're guarding a Duncan Robinson, a Gabe Vincent, a Kevin Love, a Max Strus, you have to guard them at the 4-point line," said Malone. The first on Strus helped Miami cut into what had grown to a 15-point lead before halftime, and the second on Kyle Lowry stretched the Heat's fourth-quarter lead to 8 points with a little more than five minutes remaining. Miami has been so good from beyond the arc in this postseason that Denver has to respect just about everyone not named Adebayo from distance, and that led to a pair of backbreaking 3-point shooting fouls late in the shot clock - both by Caldwell-Pope - in addition to the 17 triples the Heat made. The difference between Miami's 3-point shooting per 100 possessions in the regular season (12.3-for-35.7, 34.4%, 27th of 30) and the playoffs (13.9-for-35.5, 39.2%, first of 16) is an average of 4.8 points - or the regular-season gap between the Heat's 25th-rated offense (112.3 points per 100 possessions) and the league's third-best offense, slightly better than that of the Nuggets (116.8 points per 100 possessions). ![]() The Heat need three more to be champions. None but Miami had more than two playoff wins. All but this year's Heat lost in the first round. (The Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets - three of the four worst teams - and the Toronto Raptors were the others.) Since team averages eclipsed 25 3-point attempts a game for the first time in 2016-17, seven teams have shot 34.4% or worse from distance and made the playoffs. Only five teams shot worse than 34.5% from deep this season, and the Heat are the only one to make the playoffs. It is difficult to put Miami's hot shooting into proper perspective. Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent shoots a 3-pointer over Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday in Denver. Maybe the pressure just was not high enough during the regular season. Yes, it always looks better if the ball goes in, but our guys are competitors. ![]() So we did get some relief points on cuts and extra passes, ball movement that led to open shots. "That the ball is going where it needs to go and everybody understands what we are trying to get accomplished. "And that doesn't guarantee you anything either, but at least you give yourself the best chance," Spoelstra said after his team widened its gap over Denver for the best 3-point percentage in the playoffs. Think of it this way: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson made 151 of their 364 3-point attempts (41.5%) for the Golden State Warriors, arguably the greatest team in NBA history, en route to the 2017 title Vincent, Martin and Robinson (135-314 3P, 43%) are on pace to surpass them if the Heat do the unthinkable and win rings as a team that finished the regular season with a negative point differential.Īll Spoelstra can do to describe his team's 3-point evolution is call it "more intentional." (We should also mention that Robinson shot 44.6% on 8.3 3-point attempts per game in the 2019-20 season, before his accuracy declined each year to 32.8% this season. Vincent and Martin are now both hitting that mark for the playoffs. Only two players during the regular season - Al Horford and Luke Kennard - shot better than 44% on at least 4.5 3-point attempts per game. Through 20 playoff games, Vincent, Robinson and Martin are now shooting a combined 43% on 16.3 3-point attempts a game. ![]() This is the stuff of Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks, whose poor regular-season shooting translated to the playoffs so much so that his team reportedly informed him " he will not be brought back under any circumstances." Vincent and Robinson were two of them (as were Heat teammates Kevin Love and Victor Oladipo). Only 23 regulars attempted 4.5 or more 3s a game and shot worse than 34% on them in the regular season. Those three combined to shoot 33.9% on 13 3-point attempts per game during the regular season. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |