Lakers 'will' stronger vs. Heat

The Heat were up by six at halftime. The Lakers tied it at 72 with under nine minutes remaining. They pushed the lead to ten with under six minutes remaining. The Heat took four three-point shots and only made one. The Lakers were more active — forcing turnovers, getting rebounds, attacking the rim. The Heat’s “mental toughness” problem seems manifest in the game when they shoot multiple three-pointers and don’t attack the rim.

Luka Doncic scored 60 points and scored 19 in the third quarter. The Heat didn’t have an answer for him. Oddly, the Heat took 12 three-point shots and only nine two-point shots in the third quarter. They didn’t pressure the Lakers defense. Another key sequence was with 5:04 left in the game and the Heat closed to within four.

Austin Reaves missed a three-point shot and Lebron James got the rebound. James missed a layup and got his own rebound. He went up again and got fouled by Bam Adebayo. Lebron made 1 of 2 free throws. Doncic stole the ball from Norman Powell and scored with a running pull-up jumper. The Lakers wanted to win more.

The Ghost of Jimmy Butler or “DWade’s Buzz”

Coach Spoelstra doesn’t say it, but wishes the Heat players to be “Jimmy Butler-like” in their mental toughness. He said pre-game:

“The bigger test is how we raise our level of game and spirit and competition against teams that are all playing for something, at least in our near future,” he said. “That’s what people say they always want, and now we have it.”

Dwayne Wade would show his mental toughness in being able to will the team with scoring, defensive quickness and foul calls. The two players would find a way to “slow the opponent’s momentum” with their presence and then turn the course of the game with the whole team with defensive stops.

As Jimmy Butler said after a playoff game in 2022 — “As long as we worry about getting stops, and not whether we are making shots, we’ll win the game.” This mentality would create “a buzz” as Dwayne Wade said on his show “The Check-in” that let opponents know that beating the Heat would take all of their effort.

Heat next games

The Heat now travel to Houston to play the Rockets. The Rockets are excellent at home and are trying to beat the Lakers for the third seed in the Western conference. The Rockets will also remember the game they played in Miami and will want retribution.