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The Miami Heat find themselves in a good position as they now lead the Indiana Pacers 2-0 in this first-round playoff series after a 109-100 victory Thursday afternoon. The Heat started the game strong, behind Duncan Robinson’s three straight three-pointers, and aside from a tight first quarter where both teams headed back and forth, Miami controlled the majority of the game. Robinson’s seven made 3s equaled the franchise record for most 3 points (7) in a playoff game, raising his profile as one of the league’s top 3-point shooters. Robinson also marked the history of the NBA by draining seven or more 3s without taking a single 2 points in a playoff game.
In addition to Robinson’s score, the Heat found a contribution in other places as All-Star striker Bam Adebayo had an unusually calm game, mostly due to early foul issues that kept him from participating in much of the first half. The Heat got great performances from Goran Dragic – who started again in place of rookie Kendrick Nunn. The Slovenian guard finished with 20 points and six assists, in addition to Jimmy Butler’s performance of 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals. The Pacers tried to keep pace with the Heat’s hot shots, but they just didn’t have the staff to pull it off. Victor Oladipo led Indiana in scoring with 22 points, but again, it’s not his typical all-star dominant performance we’ve seen him produce.
The Heat now lead the series 2-0, with the third game scheduled for Saturday. Here are three takeaways from Miami’s victory over Indiana.
1. Robinson may never miss another shot
Here are some numbers from Game 2 on Robinson: 24 points, 7 for 8 from 3 points and a plus-9 to end the game. Robinson evened the heat record for most of the 3 made in a playoff game and started the second game on all-time fire. That’s odd, as you’d think Indiana would have studied a play strip on Robinson, given he’s fourth in the league with a 3-point percentage, and against the Pacers this season he’s shooting 41, 2% depth. But no, Indiana followed the same game plan they did in Game 1, which basically consisted of leaving him open on the wing and forcing him to take shots. What a terrible idea. Yes, Robinson shot just 25% from long range on Tuesday which gave only six points in Game 1, but relying on him for a horrific night of filming like this is just playing with fire. (pun intended).
Instead of Robinson air-balling 3s and clicking them on the rim like in Game 1, he went 3 for 3 deep – Miami’s first three shots of the game – and kept hitting shot after shot when they had some. need. Since arriving in Orlando, Robinson has shot 43% beyond the arc, and Thursday’s performance showed the opener was just an abnormal performance on his part. He won’t be as hot as he was this afternoon, but he’s definitely shown Indiana that he just can’t swing a defender on him or else he’ll score 20 points if given the space.
2. Miami able to overcome Adebayo’s difficulties
Due to two early faults in the first quarter, the Miami handyman forward was severely limited in the first half. In fact, Adebayo finished the first half with zero points and just one shot attempt. Compared to Adebayo’s 17-point, 10-rebound and six-assists performance in Game 1 – and his game all season – Thursday was an atypical outing for him. However, Miami’s depth meant that Adebayo’s lack of contribution in attack didn’t matter much.
In addition to Robinson’s great game, the Heat got a vintage performance from Goran Dragic in the form of 20 points, six assists and three rebounds. It looked like the Dragic of old: the cunning, devious guard who knew how to manipulate defense to get a bad call, or squeeze through defenders to the edge. It was his cunning, mixed with his experience in the playoffs, that prompted head coach Erik Spoelstra to go with him over rookie goalie Kendrick Nunn, Miami’s starting goalie all season. So far, this has paid off as Dragic averages 22 points and five assists in the Heat’s two postseason games.
While Dragic’s contribution was a pleasant surprise for Miami, what came as no surprise was Jimmy Butler’s play to start the playoffs. In Game 1, it was his performance on the home stretch, where he racked up 10 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory for the Heat. In Thursday’s contest, Butler accomplished something that took him awhile to do in the regular season. In the first two playoff games, Jimmy Buckets made four 3s; he had as many have scored 3 points in the last 23 games of the regular season. Butler’s low shooting averages have been a scenario throughout the season, but he’s been much more effective in the playoffs so far, which should be an encouraging sight for the Heat, especially in Game 2. when they couldn’t count on Adebayo to set up his typical share of the offensive charge.
3. The Pacers tried to get a 3-point shootout with the wrong team
The Indiana Pacers are 30th in the league in 3-point attempts (28), yet decided it was a good idea to get into a 3-point shootout with a team that ranks second in the league in percentage. 3 points (37.9). It didn’t go well. The Heat shot 51.4 percent from 3-point range on 35 attempts in Game 2, while the Pacers attempted 34 3s and shot 35 percent from the field. It wouldn’t be a terrible performance against an average shooting team, but Miami has established itself this season as a team that will lead and kick in almost any game, and will have a variety of on-wing shooters for. shoot down. Indiana can’t be in a shootout with Miami in this series because it’s not their game. Victor Oladipo shot 11 3-point goals on Thursday, and although he shot 36 percent from depth, he serves the Pacers better for him to drive to the basket and get points that way.
Indiana is in an uphill battle now that Miami is up 2-0, but the NBA bubble has proven anything can happen in the playoffs, and a game plan change could turn the tide to get the Pacers back in this series.
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