Heat need to 'keep shooting'

The Heat scored 52 points in the first half. The only “silver lining” was that they held Detroit to 24 points in the second quarter after allowing a blistering 41 points in the first. Major Passons on On-SI said Miami needs to form the offense around Giannis’ shot making. The true fact is that the Heat are getting up good three-point looks but the players do not know one another to create a flowing offense. The shots aren’t falling.

Second Half

The third quarter is where the Pistons told the Heat the game was over. The Pistons shot 62% in the period. John Collins and Paul Reed kept the hot shooting going by making six of eight shots. The Heat shot better in the second half (45.5%.)

Giannis shot 70% in the third quarter but appeared to try to take on the Pistons on his own. Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson put up ten shots in the quarter but only made three. Bam Adebayo took five shots in the second half. To give an obvious take, the Heat players appear to want Giannis to “feel so at home,” that it has affected their shooting flow.

Final Takes

The Heat outrebounded the Pistons by eight but still lost. The Pistons got ten more assists. Once again the Pistons (like the Wolves) shot “lights out” from three-point range. Yes, the Pistons were one of the best teams in the NBA last year. The Heat though, appear to have met each other last week and skipped the pre-season games and training camp.

Onto Charlotte on Saturday night. As the actor Tom Skerritt said in “Top Gun,” to Michael Ironsides (Jester) after Goose died — “Keep sending him (Maverick) up.” The more the guys play together, the better they’ll be.