Sixteen years ago, the Heat had the stars and the defense but no offense. This time, Spoelstra has the stars and the offense but no defense.
That is the thrust of the comparison the Heat head coach drew when asked about the parallels between his new roster around Antetokounmpo and the “Heatles” team LeBron James joined in 2010. Spoelstra told ClutchPoints the 9-8 start that group endured was its own kind of struggle, built on the opposite problem.
“That team was a spectacular defensive team from day one and we had to go through a lot of really tough, uncomfortable things offensively to get everybody on the same page and to unlock that season,” Spoelstra said.
Miami acquired Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks this past offseason to pair him with Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson for the franchise’s next run at a title.
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Defense, not offense, is the problem
The numbers tell Spoelstra’s point for him. The Heat have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the NBA at 119.8, allowing the third-most threes in the league at 42 per game, and opponents are shooting the second-best three-point percentage against them at 40.5 percent, according to Yahoo Sports.
“We’ve been giving up massive numbers at the three-point line, and this one was that,” Spoelstra said after the Los Angeles Lakers beat Miami 138-117 on November 2.
That is the mirror image of the 2010-11 Heatles, who used defense as the floor while the offensive roles between Wade, James and Bosh took months to settle. They reached the Finals that spring.
Klay Thompson bails the Heat out in OT
The bleeding stopped for a night. Klay Thompson drilled a three-pointer from the left corner with one second left in overtime to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 117-116 on Wednesday, after Miami had trailed by 20 late in the second quarter.
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Thompson finished with 30 points on 8-for-17 shooting from behind the arc. Adebayo set season highs with 35 points and 10 rebounds, and Antetokounmpo added 27 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. The win lifted Miami to 3-5.
Miami plays the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday, the third stop on a five-game West Coast road trip.
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