Smart approach for Erik Spoelstra, telling his team to treat these last four regular season games like a playoff series. It makes sense, given that a loss might mean a No. 3 seed, which might mean a second-round loss to the Celtics.
Whether that was the reason, or if it was Dwyane Wade's return, or if it was the way the Heat played against the Bucks, it was obvious the team was in attack mode against the Bobcats.
Wade had 16 free throw attempts, Chris Bosh had 10 and the team as a whole took just nine three-pointers. That turned into 56 percent shooting and 62 points in the paint. You could see the execution in the halfcourt has improved leaps and bounds from the beginning of the season.
There has been suggestions that Spoelstra was holding out until playoff time to unleash some halfcourt sets. That wouldn't seem to make much sense, unless you think of it this way: The team learning each other comes in phases. And in the early phases, it was easier to let them play with less restrictions, play fast, play instinctively. That way the players can learn each other's tendencies. And now that more halfcourt sets are in, not only is it easier to execute them, but it's harder to scout the Heat because the team hasn't spent all season running the same sets with the same options. If that's the way Spo had it planned from the start, it's a genius plan. If it's just the natural progression for a new team, well then that's just a bonus.
Pretty sure I like Zydrunas Ilgauskas being back in the starting lineup. The offense works better with him in it -- and as long as the other guys are pulling triggers and helping defensively, Z won't be much of a liability on the defensive end. If the Heat faces the Knicks, good chance it won't be long before Joel Anthony is on the floor. But Z offers a counter to Amare Stoudemire because he's just bigger and can tip in some misses. Regardless, the center spot is interchangeable, and Spo even said the minutes at the position will depend on matchups.
"I spoke to our centers about that," Spo said. "I was encouraged with what Z brought to the game tonight. He does help us stretch the floor."
After a bad game against the Bucks, it was encouraging to see Bosh recover with 27 and 10. Although the fact that Kwame Brown matched him with 23 and 13 is a little disconcerting, as is the fact that the 'Cats made a late push.
But then again, if the theme is treat these games like playoffs, the results were there: Aggressive offense, active defense and, most importantly, a W.
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