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Report: Erik Spoelstra considering starting Mike Miller in Game 4
Kurt Helin
Jun 13, 2013, 2:50 PM EDT
1 Comment
San Antonio Spurs v Miami Heat - Game Two Getty Images
Miami needs floor spacing to get their offense going. The San Antonio Spurs are packing the paint, ignoring Dwyane Wade on the perimeter off the ball, taking away LeBron James’ driving lanes and daring anyone on the Spurs to regularly beat them by shooting over the top. The Heat have become stagnant, the weak side movement in their offense seems to have gone away.
The only Heat player to really space the floor in this series is Mike Miller, who is 10-of-11 from three the NBA Finals.
So Erik Spoelstra is considering starting him, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Looking to jump-start a sluggish offense, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is considering changing his starting lineup for Game 4 of the NBA Finals and inserting the hot-shooting Mike Miller, sources said Thursday…
If Spoelstra decides to make the change with Miami trailing the San Antonio Spurs 2-1 in the best-of-seven Finals, Miller likely would replace Udonis Haslem in the starting lineup to give the Heat more shooters in an attempt to spread the floor.
Miller and LeBron have been +18.9 per 100 possessions when paired this series. It’s worth a shot. But whether he starts or comes off the bench, expect a lot of Miller and a lot of shooters on the court for the Heat.
Two quick thoughts.
First, it’s not just the offense that is the Heat’s problem — they were worse on the defensive end in Game 3. Fixing the offensive problems is less than half the story, although Miller certainly has been solid on defense.
Second, I have a theory that the first coach to break his regular routine in a series — to really mess with rotations or radically alter strategy — is the coach that knows he’s beat. If you get all the way to the NBA Finals doing one thing, you don’t change it up unless you have to. Sometimes the desperation moves pay off and things change, but it’s not a good sign.
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