Observations and other notes of interest from Saturday night’s 129-122 victory over the Dallas Mavericks:
– With Bam Adebayo out, some of Saturday’s alterations to the Heat rotation were out of need.
– But Kevin Love to the bench worked.
– With Love at backup center in a five-out alignment proving liberating to both Love and Heat.
– In the absence of Adebayo, the Heat may have found something.
– Then again, Cody Zeller certainly acquitted himself well enough to maintain a spot in the rotation.
– Of course this all was against the Mavericks’ defense, so there also has to be perspective.
– And Dallas continually hunted Love on the defensive end, so there’s also that.
– As for Omer Yurtseven, his time appears to have come and gone.
– Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said there was no choice but to sit out Adebayo due to Adebayo’s hip contusion.
– “Just the movement,” Spoelstra said. “He’s just not able to move in the way [needed]. He couldn’t play in a game.”
– Spoelstra added of again playing shorthanded, “He really wants to be out there, but we’ve been dealing with this all season long.”
– That led to dual twists with the Heat starting lineup.
– Not only did Zeller replace Adebayo as the Heat starting center.
– Zeller’s first start since May 2021, when he was with the Hornets.
– But Spoelstra’s machinations also had Max Strus starting in place of Love.
– Making it the first time Love did not start since joining the Heat on Feb. 20 from the buyout market.
– Kyle Lowry played as the Heat’s first reserve.
– With Love and Caleb Martin following.
– With Love entering at center.
– Duncan Robinson then followed.
– With the appearance, Robinson tied Dan Majerle for 21st on the Heat all-time list.
– That again had Victor Oladipo as an odd man out.
– Love’s first 3-pointer moved him past former Heat forward Glen Rice for 40th on the
– Strus’ first 3-pointer tied Dan Majerle for 12th on the Heat all-time list.
– Butler’s sixth free-throw attempt tied Dikembe Mutombo for 83rd on the NBA all-time list.
– For the Heat and Mavericks it was a game of seeding desperation.
– “Basically what you’ve seen the last six weeks,” Spoelstra said.
– Spoelstra added, “Competitors like these kinds of games.”
– Of the Heat’s G League affiliate playing in Sunday’s G League Western Conference final, Spoelstra said, “There’s been a lot of moving parts there, all the different lineups and call-ups, and stayed the course and developed a culture, developed a system, developed a way of playing and an identity they could commit to.”
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