Tyler Herro scoreless in second half

The second quarter was the deciding quarter for the Mavericks yesterday. At 49-51, there was 5:22 remaining in the quarter. In this stretch, the Mavericks outscored Miami 13-5. The Heat bogged down in taking three-point shots and missing.

The Heaters took ten shots from three-point range and from two. They shot better from two. They went to the line three times in the quarter, so it stands to reason that they could’ve driven to the basket and gone to the line more. Jovic and Larsson missed point-blank great three-point looks but as former color analyst Tony Fiorentino would say, “long shot, long rebound.”

Herro could move around more

In viewing the Heat’s scoring possessions in the second half, Tyler Herro simply stands around. An obvious analysis from a fan’s perspective is that Herro could move around more to “at the very least” provide the defense a reason to play closer to him. Herro stands in a static position on the elbow with static body language as he watches the action.

An “old-school example” can be drawn from the 1967 Ice Bowl. Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Bob Hayes would run routes with his hands in his warmers. It was easy for the Green Bay Packer defenders to figure that Hayes wasn’t in the play. When Hayes had his hands out of the warmers, the Packers knew he was going to catch the ball.

Although Herro has said in previous seasons, he wanted to play more “off-the-ball.” Although he was very efficient in scoring “off-the-ball,” the instances were very few. John Jablonka’s Substack, “Simply Ballin,” deep dives into Herro’s success in being involved in the offense. Herro would make plays or score when he was able to counter the Cavaliers physicality on him. If not, he was forgotten by the defense.