Q: Ira, saw your response about not playing Kel’el Ware late against the Warriors. What I don’t understand is why does a team going small dictate that you can’t use a big lineup instead of a team going big, forcing the smaller team to match with height. – Ron, Columbus, Ohio.
A: Because of math. When a small ball lineup is operating efficiently, many of its baskets come as 3-pointers. When a power-play lineup is utilized, most of its field goals are two-pointers. So when attempting to go big against a team playing from behind, which was mostly the case with the Warriors on Wednesday night, you run the risk of getting caught in a math problem.
Q: Ira, As Norm Powell mentioned, when Bam Adebayo plays he brings the energy and effort. When I see Kel’el Ware play, he seems to be motionless many times. If he had 50% of Bam’s energy and effort, he would be a force. – Rich, Plantation.
A: But effort and energy can be like length and muscle. Either you have that drive, or you don’t. The Heat have never had to push Bam Adebayo to maximize his skill set. They routinely have had to do so with Kel’el Ware. It’s simply how he is wired, and is among the reasons it didn’t work for him at Oregon and among the reasons that a player with his build and skill set did not go in the lottery. The Heat’s goal at the moment is to maximize whatever can be maximized.
Q: Credit goes to Steve Kerr for going with mostly zone defense to slow down the fast pace of the Miami Heat. Is this what the Heat can look forward to facing from other teams, after watching the effects it had on Miami’s offense? And how can Miami counter that type of defense? – Barry, Deerfield Beach.
A: The counter is to beat the zone down the court, which is another element of the Heat’s new approach. But you can’t do that when you’re sending the other team to the foul line or allowing a high field-goal percentage. So the defense very much plays into the offense in that regard. In reviewing Noah LaRoche’s comments on his offensive precepts, the approach against the zone is similar to his ball-movement spacing and pacing against man-to-man. But the reality is the passing lanes are not the same, the gaps more often covered. So as with many offenses against the zone, you better be making your 3-pointers.