Heat Notes: Jaquez, Elimination, Herro, Adebayo, Anderson
Jaime Jaquez Jr.‘s second NBA season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his rookie campaign. Jaquez has been out of the Heat‘s rotation in their playoff series against Cleveland after getting steady playing time last season.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating as a competitor,” Jaquez told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “As a player, you want to be in the game playing. But seasons come with ups and downs. I think more than anything, you take it as a learning experience. It will help you grow as a player and as a person to go through adversity like this. If you make it out to the other side, then you’re going to see what you become.”
Jaquez averaged 8.6 points per game this season on a lower shooting percentage than last season, when he averaged 11.9 PPG and made 48.9 percent of his attempts.
“There’s going to be struggles throughout your career,” he said. “You don’t want to shy away from those. Obviously, there have been a lot of ups and downs with some bad luck with some illnesses and then obviously getting hurt. But I think it’s given me a great opportunity to just learn, learn a lot about myself and about the game and take this time to just continue to work on my craft, work on my routine and continue to get better as a professional.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- They’re facing elimination tonight and staring at a 3-0 deficit in the series. NBA teams are 0-158 in playoff series after falling behind 3-0, Chiang notes. “This is our reality right now. But like I told the guys, it’s not time to let go of the rope,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We’re going to play until the final buzzer, whether that’s next game, Game 5, 6, 7 or another series after this. We just got to keep playing. That’s what we’re paid to do and that’s who we are as an organization. We want to compete and we’re not going out 4-0.”
- Herro pumped in 33 points in Game 2 but was held to 13 points in Game 3, as the Cavaliers limited him to a series-low 46 touches, according to Chiang. “I’m coming off and they’re not allowing me to get any handoffs or coming off pindowns or anything like that,” he said. “Just pretty much face-guarding me and guiding me into the corner.” Herro and his teammates will have to find counters for that strategy if they want to extend the series.
- Bam Adebayo has become more comfortable attempting three-pointers this season and that’s reflected in the volume of his long-range shots through the first three playoff games. He has taken 17 and made six. “He has good balance about it, of being rugged and aggressive at the rim and in the pant, because we need that as well … he’s a very good shooter,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Kyle Anderson was added to the injury report for Monday’s game due to an illness, Chiang tweets. However, he is available, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Anderson has only seen the floor for six minutes during the series.
Kevin Love Announces Death Of His Father, Ex-NBA Player Stan Love
Kevin Love, who has been away from the Heat for personal reasons, announced Sunday on Instagram that his father, former NBA player Stan Love, has died, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“The best last lesson one generation can teach the next: how to die with peace about how you’ve lived,” Kevin Love wrote. “This may be my Dad’s greatest gift. Teaching me that healing happens in your soul and that healing is there for the taking, even in the face of imminent death. Dad loved his family unconditionally and left his children with one of life’s great lessons.”
The elder Love, who was 76, was selected by the Baltimore Bullets with the ninth pick in the 1971 draft. He was traded to the Lakers in 1973 and played one year with San Antonio in the ABA before his career ended in 1975. He finished with career averages of 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 239 games. Stan Love is also famous for being the younger brother of Beach Boys singer Mike Love.
Chiang notes that Kevin Love missed Miami’s final 10 regular season games and 22 overall while caring for his father. He returned for the first play-in tournament contest on April 16 against Chicago, but then had to leave again. He has been ruled out for tonight’s home game against Cleveland as the Heat try to avoid a sweep in their first-round series.
“We could use his voice,” Bam Adebayo said following Saturday’s loss. “But K-Love is going through a lot right now. We text him here and there. But understanding we still got to play the game, still got to figure it out, still got to figure out how to get one win. And that’s what we’ll worry about on Monday.”
Love, 36, has moved into a veteran leadership role for the Heat in his 17th NBA season. He appeared in just 23 games, making nine starts and averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.
He has one year remaining on his contract at $4.15MM, and he’s expected to continue playing next season.
“We feel for him and what he’s going through right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So the thoughts are more about that, being there for him. We all know how much he means to us in our locker room, but this transcends that.”
Heat Notes: Game 3 Loss, Starting Lineup, Ware, Herro
The Heat were hoping to make their series against the top-seeded Cavaliers competitive after a close call Wednesday at Cleveland. Instead, they suffered the worst playoff loss in franchise history on Saturday and are staring at a likely insurmountable 3-0 deficit, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Miami built an early 15-6 lead, but things fell apart quickly as the Cavs strung together a 33-5 run to put the game out of reach. The lead got up to 40 points in the second half as Miami fans expressed their displeasure with the effort.
“Once we jumped on them at the start of the game, then they just took control of it from there and it became an avalanche going the other direction,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And sometimes when you care, there’s a level of discouragement that kind of fed into that avalanche and that’s what we all feel disappointed about.”
The Cavaliers dominated the game near the basket, registering 11 dunks and outscoring Miami 60-30 in the paint. Cleveland also collected 13 offensive rebounds while building a 22-10 advantage in second-chance points and had a 21-11 edge in points off turnovers.
“I know how much everybody cares,” Spoelstra added. “We just laid an egg today. A big part of it was Cleveland.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Davion Mitchell replaced Alec Burks in the starting lineup for Game 2, and Spoelstra went with the same approach on Saturday, Chiang adds. The starting five kept the game even during their 13 minutes together, but Miami was outscored by 37 points otherwise. Chiang notes that Cleveland was relentless in its attack on rookie center Kel’el Ware, who is minus-24 in 57 minutes so far in the series. “I understand he’s being fed through a fire hose,” Spoelstra said. “… We’re coaching him hard and I feel for him because there’s an expectation that he has to be there like a vet. These are important learning experiences.”
- In an interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Tyler Herro speculates that Miami’s season would have turned out much better if Jimmy Butler hadn’t forced a trade. Butler, who played just 25 games with the Heat this season before being dealt to Golden State in February, provided Herro with a complementary offensive weapon. “Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win. If we had Jimmy right now, I feel like it’d be a completely different situation,” Herro said. “We probably wouldn’t even be the eighth seed. So finding that middle balance of like, damn, we need him, but also understanding, sh–, that’s his career and what he wants is ultimately his right to want what he wants. It was just tough to be in the middle of both sides.”
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson commented on this week’s war of words between Herro and Darius Garland, Weiss tweets. “I don’t control what they say at all,” Atkinson said. “… Tyler is a great player, he’s an All-Star. Great competitor on both ends, much like Darius. It’s like the playground, you got someone you’re going at at both ends and there’s some verbal stuff that’s overblown. But once the ball goes up, none of it matters.”
Cavs’ Darius Garland Sidelined For Game 3
Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will be unavailable for Game 3 vs. Miami due to his left great toe sprain, the team announced in its last injury report prior to Saturday afternoon’s tip-off.
Garland was affected by the toe issue earlier this month, missing two of Cleveland’s final three regular season games as a result of the injury. According to Jared Weis of The Athletic (Twitter link), the 25-year-old aggravated the injury during Game 2 on Wednesday and wasn’t able to take part in a pregame warm-up on Saturday after initially being listed as questionable.
The hope, a team source tells Weiss, is that sitting out today will allow Garland to heal up and return on Monday for Game 4 in Miami.
Garland’s absence comes on the heels of an eventful media cycle involving him and Heat guard Tyler Herro. Following Wednesday’s Cavs victory, Garland told reporters that “pick on Herro” was a central facet of the team’s offensive game plan, prompting Herro to fire back two days later to criticize Garland’s defense.
Heat big man Bam Adebayo told the media that Herro’s teammates took Garland’s comments “personal,” adding that the Cavs guard “cannot hide,” but Miami won’t get the opportunity to go after him on the court for at least a couple more days.
Sharpshooter Sam Merrill will start in Garland’s place, Weiss notes.
Heat’s Herro Fires Back At Cavs’ Garland After Jab About Defense
The Cavaliers made it fairly clear based on their offensive strategy in the first two games of their series vs. the Heat that they were targeting a perceived weak link on Miami’s defense. Asked about the Cavs’ game plan after Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, point guard Darius Garland confirmed as much, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
“Pick on Tyler Herro,” Garland said. “Don’t play in tight spaces and pick on their weak defenders. Go at them.”
According to NBA.com’s data, the Cavaliers have attempted 33 shots through two games with Herro as the primary defender, making 21 of them (63.6%). No other Heat player has a higher number of field goals against (in terms of both makes and attempts) in the series.
Herro and the Heat didn’t have a media session on Thursday, but when the team spoke to reporters on Friday, the All-Star guard knew he’d be asked about Garland’s comments and didn’t hold back his feelings about them.
“To go to the media to talk about the game plan and this and that says a lot about him. I’m not worried about Darius Garland,” Herro said, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Somebody that doesn’t play defense shouldn’t be talking, either. He don’t play any defense and we’ll see that tomorrow. He don’t play no D.”
To Herro’s point, Heat players have made 12-of-18 shots (66.7%) in the first two games of the series with Garland as their primary defender, per NBA.com.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, Herro downplayed the idea that Garland’s comments would further motivate him, telling reporters that he has “enough fuel in me” and doesn’t need any more from “that guy over there.” However, teammate Bam Adebayo, who came to his teammate’s defense, suggested Garland’s remarks would make for good bulletin-board material for the rest of the Heat.
“(He) cannot hide,” Adebayo said. “He said what he said. We all take that personal.”
Both Garland and Herro told Joe Vardon of The Athletic that they have a good relationship, but as Vardon writes, that doesn’t mean the trash talk between them isn’t real.
“I mean, I’m not f—ing around. I don’t think there’s anything to f— around about,” Herro told The Athletic on Friday. “But we had said some words to each other on the court and then looked like he was in his feelings to go to the media to say that after the game. I mean, that kind of says everything right there.”
As we relayed earlier on Friday, Garland is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 due to a left big toe sprain.
Injury Notes: Butler, Garland, Heat, Bucks
Warriors swingman Jimmy Butler has been listed as questionable to play on Saturday vs. Houston and was referred to by head coach Steve Kerr on Friday as “day-to-day,” according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Kerr isn’t ruling out the possibility of Butler suiting up for Game 3.
“I’m relatively optimistic,” Kerr said. “I mean, Jimmy is Jimmy. We know he’s willing to play through anything, so we’ll see. I mean, this is a day-to-day thing for sure, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but I think there’s a chance he plays.”
Kerr noted Butler’s injury is “very similar” to the one Stephen Curry suffered in March, which cost the Warriors star two games.
“It’s a pain tolerance thing, that’s why he’s day-to-day,” Kerr added.
Butler isn’t the only Warrior whose status for Saturday’s contest is up in the air. Veteran guard Gary Payton II has been listed as questionable due to a right shoulder strain after averaging just under 14 minutes per night in the first two games of the series, Youngmisuk notes.
The good news for Golden State is that guard Brandin Podziemski isn’t listed on the injury report after being limited to 14 minutes in Game 2 due to an illness. Podziemski said he’s ready to go for Game 3.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 vs. Miami on Saturday due to a big toe sprain on his left foot, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Garland has averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 assists per night in the first two games of the series, both Cleveland wins.
- Heat big man Kevin Love (personal reasons) and guard Terry Rozier (left ankle sprain) will remain out for Game 3 on Saturday, but the rest of the roster is available, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Rozier was unable to practice on Friday due to his ankle injury, Winderman adds.
- While neither player would have been in the rotation, the Bucks have ruled out Tyler Smith (left ankle sprain) and Chris Livingston (personal reasons) for Friday’s Game 3 vs. Indiana, the team announced (Twitter links).
- In case you missed it, while Shams Charania reported that Grizzlies star Ja Morant would miss Game 4 on Saturday vs. Oklahoma City due to his hip injury, Memphis isn’t entirely closing the door on the possibility of Morant suiting up, having listed him as doubtful. His injury designation is a hip contusion.
Southeast Notes: Salaun, Mann, Magic, Heat
Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun got thrown into the deep end earlier than expected as a rookie due to the team’s extensive injury list. His first NBA season had highs and lows, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes, but ultimately Salaun showed glimpses of what he can be at the next level and displayed what president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson values in building a contender.
“I had a lot of experience during this year,” Salaun said. “That was cool, to be around all of these guys, this organization. And yeah, my role was different so I could have more time than I think [was expected] but that was great. All of this experience is going to translate into everything for next season.”
Salaun ended the year averaging 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 60 outings, including 10 starts.
“I would say he had a season that was probably pretty consistent with being the second-youngest player in the NBA,” Peterson said. “There were some good moments and there were some not-so-good moments. None of that came as a surprise to us. We knew there was going to be a learning curve. You come from the French league and then try to assimilate to this level playing against grown men, it’s hard. It’s really, really hard at this level, and we knew it would take some time.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hornets guard Tre Mann looked to be a big part of Charlotte’s game plan early in the season, averaging 14.1 points across 24.5 minutes per night in his first 13 games. However, he suffered a season-ending back injury in November, and his future with the team seems to be shrouded in mystery, according to Boone. Mann is eligible to be a restricted free agent this summer.
- In order to have a chance against the defending champion Celtics, the Magic will need to get more physical, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes. In another piece, the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede explains why the Magic feel good about avoiding a sweep against Boston and recognize the areas where they match up favorably. “Defensive intensity is always there for us,” forward Paolo Banchero said. “We know we can hold these guys under their [scoring average]. We know we can guard them. It’s just these little runs that we let them go on is what kills us.”
- The Heat‘s draft pick situation was in flux all season, but they ended up with the 20th overall pick via the Jimmy Butler-to-the-Warriors trade while sending their own pick to Oklahoma City as a result of making the playoffs, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “This time is the recalibration,” Heat vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager Adam Simon said. “You find out where you’re picking. If you’re in the lottery, you go from there. But that’s not the case for us right now. And then we’re waiting for the early entry list to come out and that basically fires off the gun to start the race to the draft.”
Heat Notes: Mitchell, Jovic, Rotation, Wiggins
The Heat made a number of changes after a blowout loss to the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Chief among them, Davion Mitchell took over a starting role ahead of Alec Burks. While the Heat still fell in Game 2, Mitchell helped the Heat make a late comeback and get into the game in the closing minutes of regulation.
The starting lineup change led to a fast start for the Heat, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes, with the team getting out to an early lead. Mitchell ended up with 18 points and six assists, with 14 of his points coming in the fourth quarter.
“It was a couple different factors with that,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the starting lineup change. “We wanted to be able to organize ourselves offensively at the start a little bit better. Get Tyler off the ball, Wiggs off the ball. Then obviously some defensive presence. [Mitchell’s] competitive spirit on the ball was very good all night and you’re dealing with two guards who can put a lot of pressure on you.”
In addition to adding Mitchell to the starting rotation, the Heat used Nikola Jovic heavily off the bench for his first big workload since he broke his hand in late February. He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes and on the floor in the closing minutes of Game 2.
“We just look different when he’s on the floor,” Spoelstra said of Jovic. “He creates some stress with his skill and I’m pleased that he was able to play those 25 minutes. It’s a credit to him putting in all that time conditioning the last month or so.”
Pelle Larsson also saw some minutes off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins was limited to 28 minutes. Burks did not play after starting Game 1.
We have more from the Heat:
- Jovic took the blame for Miami’s loss in Game 2, Chiang writes in a separate story. He played the entire fourth quarter and helped spark the Heat’s comeback and Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson was complimentary of the boost Jovic provided. However, the 21-year-old forward was hard on himself after missing four threes in the fourth and committing two turnovers in the final three minutes. “I got what I wanted and that’s to close the game in the playoffs,” Jovic said. “The stuff that I did at the end is really unacceptable. I really did cost us the game and I just got to be better. This is my third year. I’m not a rookie anymore. I’ve seen what’s the deal and how to get to the playoffs, and the stuff that I did today was just not good. I’m really grateful that coach gave me the opportunity. I’m not worried about my shot. I know if I have those shots again, I will shoot them every time because I know I’m open and I know I can make them. They just didn’t go in and I got to be better.“
- Wiggins not playing for the entire fourth quarter with Jovic taking over his spot raises some questions going forward, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes. Spoelstra said the intention was for Wiggins to come back into the game but he rode the hot hand with the group closing in on a comeback. “I actually put him at the scorer’s table at six to go,” Spoelstra said, “And the group wanted to keep on pushing through.” Spoelstra said the lack of minutes was not an indictment of Wiggins.
- Donovan Mitchell put the game out of Miami’s reach with eight points in just over a minute of game time late in the fourth quarter. Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel opines that Mitchell is exactly the sort of superstar Miami lacks and could use. “He made some tough shots, shots that we can’t really — nothing we can do about them,’’ Davion Mitchell said. “The pull-up. A step-back, deep three-pointer. Those are the kind of shots you can’t get to.“
Southeast Notes: Young, Rozier, Love, Magic, Wizards
Asked during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show (YouTube link) about Trae Young‘s future in Atlanta, NBA insider Chris Haynes said the Hawks guard has expressed to him that he’s “down with the process” and wants to see a young Atlanta team “turn the corner.” However, while Haynes hasn’t heard anything from Young’s camp to indicate that he’s seeking a change of scenery, he acknowledged that there are “definitely teams out there who are monitoring his situation.”
Within his preview of the Hawks’ offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic also explores what’s in store for Young and the Hawks, noting that it’s hard to get a read on the team’s direction because there are already so many individuals who have some say in the front office, even before Atlanta hires a new head of basketball operations.
In addition to team owner Tony Ressler and his son Nick Ressler, executives who have a voice in personnel decisions include general manager Onsi Saleh, assistant GM Kyle Korver, and advisers Chris Grant and Chris Emens. Tony Ressler also sometimes asks for input from people outside of the basketball operations department, including minority owner Grant Hill. According to Hollinger, Hill is viewed by some sources as Ressler’s top choice to run the front office, but seems satisfied with his USA Basketball job.
While there has been “chatter” about the possibility of the Hawks entertaining a Young trade this offseason, it remains to be seen how strong his market would be, according to Hollinger, who suggests one possible reason the team traded Dejounte Murray instead of Young a year ago was because it would’ve been more difficult to extract value for Young.
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Terry Rozier (ankle sprain) and Kevin Love (personal reasons) will be unavailable for the Heat in Game 2 of their series vs. Cleveland on Wednesday. Head coach Erik Spoelstra says he “feels” for both players, praising Rozier for maintaining a good work ethic even when he’s out of the rotation and adding that the team is there for Love during “what he’s going through,” per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
- Rozier told reporters that he’s “super frustrated” about injuring his ankle in a scrimmage, but he said the injury is already improving and didn’t require an MRI, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Heat guard described his status as “day to day.”
- The Magic aren’t bothered by Al Horford‘s complaints about Orlando’s “extra” physicality in Game 1, including a hard foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that resulted in Celtics star Jayson Tatum injuring his wrist. According to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required), head coach Jamahl Mosley said he didn’t think Caldwell-Pope deserved to be called for a flagrant foul on that play, while guard Cole Anthony said the Magic play “the right way” and aren’t trying to hurt anyone. “We’re going to keep mucking it up,” Anthony added. “You’re just giving us good feedback.”
- The Wizards were voted the NBA’s second-worst organization in The Athletic’s latest player poll, with Brian Keefe receiving the most votes for the league’s worst coach. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, those results suggest the Wizards have work to do to adjust the outside perception of the team, though veterans like Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton have said since arriving in D.C. that they’ve been pleasantly surprised by how the organization functions.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Mitchell, Rozier, Hornets
The Magic‘s role players need to be way better to challenge Boston in their first-round series, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carried the offense in Orlando’s Game 1 loss, while their teammates had a combined 27 points on 10-of-30 shooting.
“They’ve got a lot on their shoulders as the offensive scorers on the team,” big man Jonathan Isaac said. “We’ve got to do a better job as role players.”
Cole Anthony believes a quicker pace would help the cause.
“We did a great job in the first half pushing the pace and crashing that glass,” he said. “The second half, we kind of got away from it as a team. So, I think if we can maintain that pace for 48 (minutes), we’ll have a chance.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Following their Game 1 loss to top seed Cleveland, the Heat realize they’re not going to win the series on talent. Instead, they’ll have to rely on grit and determination. “We got to be the hardest playing team,” Heat guard Davion Mitchell told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “They’re a really good and talented team. They can score the ball with the best of them, so we got to be the hardest playing team. That’s what we got to do.”
- Terry Rozier is out of the Heat‘s rotation but he still wound up on the injury report for Wednesday’s Game 2. Rozier suffered a left ankle sprain during an optional workout, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets.
- Brandon Miller is the only Hornets player close to untouchable status, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith opines in his offseason preview. Charlotte should try once again to seek a trade for Mark Williams and even consider moving LaMelo Ball if the right offer comes along, Smith suggests, adding that getting assets, even minor ones, for some of their other regulars to free up time for developmental players should also be a part of the team’s offseason approach.