Miami Heat Drop Opener To Magic | Norman Powell 28 points in Debut | Spoelstra Is Still Going Small

Miami Heat Drop Opener To Magic | Norman Powell 28 points in Debut | Spoelstra Is Still Going Small

Welcome on in everybody. Tobin here with you. Just like old times, is it not? I’m actually not going to go uh I’m going to drink tonight. Uh but I’m I’m going to just throw a little on ice. All right, we’re going to be classy here tonight. We’re not going to drink out of the bottle like a bunch of uh hooligans. It is the opening night and I actually had a lot of fun tonight. I was happy basketball is back. Um, I I mean the game was a I mean it it it was first of all, this felt this game felt like a marathon. It was uh I I almost didn’t know what to do with my hands in the early going of this game with the uh the fast-paced nature uh of each side. But Miami um you know we had a we had a Miami Orlando game that started 3938 and just everybody being able to hit everything from everywhere. It was uh it was such a joy to watch. Um but I guess we’ll work our way backwards to the fun because um all too familiar. You know Miami loses to the Orlando Magic. Your final score tonight 125 121 and it was not Paulo Bonerro taking them home. It was not France Vagner taking them home. It was the big old muscles of Wendell Carter Jr. really lifting uh my uh lifting Orlando in this game and uh you know hits a couple of clutch free throws to to put it out for good. He outmusled Bam like he uh he wasn’t even there and uh sinks his two free throws real clutch. He uh he did not have a very good game overall. And then uh Carter Jr. just uh I mean he was he he showed up late there. He got a big putback off of uh off of a Bane missed three and you’re just like man this guy hasn’t been there uh the the entire time. Miami hit a huge huge drought in the uh in the midst of the fourth quarter uh especially with the field goals. Um but yeah, it was a it was a disappointing ending. There’s two things that I really I take umbrage with. Um, so, you know, we get to a point where it’s a real tussle back and forth. You started off the fourth in a really great way. I mean, you know, you start off Norman Pal. I mean, first of all, what a heat debut for him. Norman Pal today, he finishes with 28 points. He was nine of 19, four of eight from downtown, six of seven from the free throw line. um had nine rebounds today, four assists, one steel, and one block shot. Uh he was a team high plus 12 today. He was an absolute demon. What a what a debut it was for Norman Pal. Um and really just I mean head down, goto scorer, just really I think everybody was like, “Whoa, what what a what a revelation this guy’s plays physical.” Um, even at the end there where Miami was still not quite out of it, they get a Norm Powell straight line dunk to the rim and unfortunately they could have gotten the stop which they did. They got a miss. Um, they just got out rebounded. They got out muscled. But, uh, in that fourth quarter, you know, the the Heat got off to a really really great start, man. Um, you got, you know, Fonteo was just an absolute demon. Uh, there’s so many good things that happened in this game. It’s just like unfortunate. You start the year, you lose to an instate rival. Um you felt like it just felt a little all too familiar like last year’s like, “Oh, you got him in position, but when you really need to come up with a place to put this game away, Miami couldn’t do it.” And you know, there’s there was just a couple of things that I just I I don’t understand with Eric Schmolstra. All right, I’m not You guys know my deal on road games. I will go listen to the sound usually after unless something super controversial happens. Um but we get to a point and look two of his young bigs tonight in Kel Wear who really was starting to find his groove and you you got to remember this guy’s 21 years old. He’s young. You got him in these games and we know in this matchup you’re going to face absolute giants against Orlando. Okay, you got Paulo Montera, you got Fran Vagner, both moosees. You got Wendell Carter who again wasn’t great, but he is a behemoth. And then you got two absolute pit bulls on uh in their back court with Bane and Suggs and we know what the deal is. So about eight minutes left. This was a pretty big swing play. I get why Spo was upset, but Dilva, who was really good today off the bench for Orlando, gets a putback uh off of Pat tip out. Uh he was able to beat KL Wear. Spo, calls timeout. It’s a six-point game instead of the Heat getting the ball up eight. There’s about eight minutes left. He comes back. He takes Wear out of course and he goes bam. Simony, Wiggins, Drew Smith, and uh and Haime Hakez Jr. Well, Font Techio comes out and he’s just like unbelievable with uh with hitting the shots, but Bam comes out and he starts what pretty much was like the fourth quarter of disaster for the captain. He blew a runner, which was I mean his theme music today was the clank off the rim and then he turned it over and then Paulo Bonero takes that turnover, gets an and one uh and that was like the start of the turn to the game and that was uh really really just disappointing. Bam then comes up with a positive play. Gets a block on Bane but Wiggins turns it over. over the Heat also had trouble taking care of the basketball and that really that really burned their ass. And I think if they look back on this game, you know, you look back on the rebounding, it wouldn’t have been a golf. I think they actually played them, they outrebounded them today, 47 to 46. I think Miami got they got more attempts up today, but the points off turnovers today, 25 conceded by Miami to 16 in favor of Orlando. So that is uh that’s definitely one of those things. But we get into uh you know so we Desmond Bane that hits a three ball. He has 21 points. He had a nice debut. And so so Spo subs in Nico and Powell. Um and Miami starts off with a 24se second violation. So that starts ripping away and Bono gets to the rim and uh he uh gets fouled. Five minutes left. Clutch game. Shout out to Anthony Chang. Love the bit. Love the tweets. That’s my guy. Um, and then we we really do get into like a free throw fest going back and forth, but um, Carter is uh is going for a rebound and Yoic fouls him and Spose like you can just tell he’s got no patience for the young guys not getting rebounds or not out musling these guys. And he takes Nico out and he puts Haime back in. Now Haime had a really good game today. Okay, I am I I understand you want to go with the guys you trust. And really, it didn’t burn Miami awfully today, but it is a game against Orlando and Bama’s the tallest guy out there again. And and I’m just thinking to myself, all right, in a in a in a league where everybody’s getting bigger, we’re closing with Adabio, Hakez, Wiggins, Powell, and DaVon Mitchell, which means that you got to have basically Haime for the most part is on Wendell Carter because Bam is trying to stay on Bono and Wiggins is on Vog. Vagner. Although Bam did, you know, Bam really one of his only uh great plays today, he forced Vagner into a miss and it luckily ended up with a heat like bounced all over the place and it just felt like every rebound that he got kind of was by chance and and and an awkward bounce. Um so the Heat, it was tied 115 a piece. Vagner gets a a miss. The Heat get the rebound. Powell, he tries to get around Jaylen Suggs. They uh they call a a an offensive foul on Powell. Spo challenge it. Unsuccessful. Don’t really have an issue with the call. It was a bit of a weird move by Powell. Um I I I I don’t I don’t think it was an awful one. So, and I’m not going to say that’s the reason they lost. And the Heat, it’s a bonus fest. Norman goes to the line. Boner goes to the line. He’s fouled. But the game really swung where he’d have a couple of fast break attempts and they get one that was a second chance opportunity where Bam Adobay has a chance to put it in and he doesn’t and you’re just like oof. All right, that wasn’t great. And yeah, no one pal missed a shot. Bam got the rebound. He then missed the tip shot. Then Bonerro, he uh Bonero gets uh gets a miss. Wiggins gets the rebound and then they come down the other end and bam. Uh they say that Wendell Carter blocked it. Maybe I missed a block on it, but he’s not able to get the basket. I uh and just didn’t go up like he had the head of steam and like I don’t know, just Carter just outplayed him physically this entire fourth quarter. It was it was tough. And it’s tough like the uh there’s nobody on the other end. Bonerro gets a dunk. It’s 119 116 Orlando. Wiggins comes back. He hits a three ball. You’re like, “All right, clutch.” Jaylen Suggs comes on the other end. He hits a nasty floater in the paint over I think it was Pal and Haime. Um really clutch bugging from him. And then the Heat get a couple of looks for the lead. Wiggins shoots a three, misses it. Hakez comes up with the offensive rebound, finds Mitchell, he misses a three, and then Desmond Bane gets the rebound. Bam, like a Tasmanian devil, like dives onto him. He’s trying to get the ball. His heart is always in the right place, but they call a foul on Bam. And mind you, they’re in the the entire quarter was like in the bonus. and Desmond Bane gets to go to the line and put them up two possessions. So, you’re almost you would have been better off like Hart was in the right place. Would have been better off just playing defense. 37 seconds left and you know go get a stop rather than you’re sending them you’re putting them up two possessions. Mention it. No pal. He gets the dunk and then Wendell Carter with the big offensive rebound. So, that’s where your game was decided. Um, but yeah, two things that I’m have an issue with and and I I understand untrained eye like ultimately Bam just kind of stunk up the joint in the fourth quarter and everybody else came up with a play. Uh, but I just don’t know how many matchups throughout this season when the league’s getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I I know say you got to win in those moments. You got to win those moments. I know what he’s going to say. I know the script, but I just don’t know how we’re going to learn anything or go anywhere. If you’re going to have Bamabio be responsible for stopping Vagner or Bonerro, I understand that strategy. He’s one of the best defensive players in the league. You can’t have him also be out here and he’s got to outrebound Wendell Carter. He has You have to have another big out there. You have to. Okay. And respect. Haime was awesome today. He played really, really well. but he’s not like necessarily known as a defensive stalwart and he’s he’s uh he’s 66 like you’re going to make him in some mismatch like it just I just don’t understand that. I don’t understand it. I can’t believe we’re sitting here we it felt because here’s the thing with me. A lot of this Heat game felt very and and I wonder if you guys feel the same way, but a lot of this Heat game felt very evolved, right? They were they were moving the ball. There was so much great movement, getting the ball down, guys looking for each other. Everybody seemed like they were buying into something new except for two guys and then the faces of the franchise. Bamabio and Eric Spolstra. Two of them. Because everybody else seems like they stuck to the plan. Move it fast. Get the open shot. makes it. Yeah, they had some crazy things happen like Fonteio turning into uh, you know, turning into Dirk Nitzky for like a 4-minute stretch. That was pretty crazy. Um, but for the most part, I thought there was a lot of great stuff. And I feel like the two guys who are the flag bearsers of this thing, they blew it again in the fourth quarter. And this is Spo, like you and BAM, you guys are the pillar of professionalism. You are the embodiment of heat culture and you guys continue to wet the bed in the fourth quarter and greatest coach m maybe in the league, the head of team USA. How can you not find a formula now going on a year to get your team to victory? And to the captain, everybody’s buying in. This was your second half today from BAM. Okay. Couple of good defensive plays in there, I will give you. Um, but ultimately in the end, like it came down to a lot of guys going to the free throw line, so there wasn’t like a lot of ISO stops. He had he had one on Vagner that really comes to mind. Um, and and that and that block on Bane early, so he had a couple stops. I understand this was there, but he was four for 13 today. Okay. And he finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds. But that free throw stuff where everybody was getting to the free throw line, everybody. Um, this was his second half of this game. And he was four points, eight rebounds, one turnover, two for seven. He was 0 for five in the fourth quarter, and he had zero free throws. You’re the max guy. I said this is a this is a legacy season and I’m not trying to get like overly crazy about the opening night. Okay. I thought I saw a lot of good stuff today um that I really liked. I thought he had a very good first half. I thought that his aggression he was getting Wendell Carter. It it was like here’s the thing like Wendell Carter first half Bio took his cookies like he looked great. Um but fourth fourth I mean but it was but Carter Carter won the war. Cart Carter won the the fourth quarter and this is another game like remember the one with Batce last year where he was having trouble and you know and so I don’t know there’s two things that I I got to look at. one either he’s got too much dirty work to do but I feel like I’m giving an excuse there but I do feel like he should be playing you either got to play where or k or you gota either play where or yoic and I know spo got pissed at both them in the fourth quarter but I’m sorry dude science over lessons right now you got to have somebody of stature he can’t be the tallest guy out there against Orlando you know it’s just it’s not a recipe to succeed the rest of the year it’s just not and it’s frustrating ing. It’s It’s annoying because I think a lot of the new guys did well. I thought Wiggins solid ass game. No Powell, awesome game. DaVon Mitchell today, man. What a what a game for for for off night. He was sensational today. 16 points, 12. Looked like a real point guard out there. He looked great. Two steals, one block. Um, you know, he was he was tremendous. He was tremendous today. Wiggins was the the only starters to be negative today were Wiggins, who was a minus 21. That really was like all of the he was there was a bad stretch with the bench that he was out there alone. I feel like that was the majority of that and then um you know, so I think that’s a little overplayed for where he was. Like for example, Fontekia was cooking and he finished finished a minus nine. I think he was part of that run where it just really got away from Miami. Um yeah, but the bench overall tonight like really solid. Kell didn’t have a good first in. His second stint was much much better. And I just I I I don’t get it, dude. Pella Larson Foul McGee today. No impact in his season debut. Uh Drew Smith was all right. Had drew a charge. you know, he was uh pumped about that, but um had some crafty steals, five assists. Curious to see how this affects, you know, he’s he had such a fast comeback. I’m curious how it affects his um how it affects his defense the rest of the way. But, um yeah, man. I I I it’s a frustrating one. It’s it’s frustrating to kind of do the same story here all the time. And and I said going into this year, I’m like, “This is a legacy season for Bam.” You know, they’re talking about Eric Reed’s sitting here and he’s saying, “Hey, he’s on the Mount Rushmore. He is um you know, he could end up the number two all score alltime scorer by the end of the season. He’s for sure getting his jersey retired one day, but you know, what is that legacy going to be?” And um yeah, that was a that was that was really a tough one. Really a tough one. I made hockey today. I do want to give a shout out though cuz like I was I was so you know I was loud wrong at least to start this this first first game I’m loud because I said Pella was going to outplay Haime. Pella’s going to get those minutes over Hime. Uh immediately Spo obviously loved Haime’s game because he trusted him going to him right away. Uh he had some footwork today, dude. I mean, it looked it looked good. He was He put the moves on Bon Carro one time. I was like, “Hi, hey, dude. Look at you.” He was out and running. He had energy. Uh him and Dave, good connections on stuff. Really, really love that. Really love that from him. I thought Wiggins looked pretty Wiggins pretty solid, man. He got some tough buckets tonight. Some uh some some good defensive plays. Um, and then obviously hit, you know, the clutch shot for Miami in that fourth quarter. What did Miami finish with in the fourth quarter in that I wish there was like a breakdown of the last five minutes on field goals, but Miami ultimately in the fourth, let’s see, they both hit 10 shots. They both It’s the free throws. Yeah. 13 free throws to seven. All right. Well, I’m going to be a grown-up about this. It is we it look frustrated for sure. I don’t like losing to the Magic. Shout out to the Heat fans there. Heard the Let’s Go Heat chance. Um I really I enjoyed the holy hell out of watching Norman Pal today. Um Nico, you know, like I should I should go Yoic, dude. Uh, need more. Need more today, dude. Need more. They uh that was uh that was, you know, came out had a nice like first stint where the game was really flowing and playing kind of at that break neck pace. He he seemed to thrive in that game. Slowed down. Not there. So, yeah. Uh I would say, you know, the uh the tandem there in the front court uh underwhelming today. underwhelming for Nico and for Bam. So, but I do think that they are working on stuff. You could definitely see the offense working. I think Hake’s having a start like this. Uh, no, he took he took one three-point attempt. I mean, really like just got back to his bread and butter today. That looked great. Fonteio just a microwave. So cool. Um, and I just thought, I mean, DaVon was awesome today. I thought Da’Von Mitchell played a really really great game. He uh he he just looks so in control. Um but yeah, four for 13 from Bam. Can’t happen, dude. That’s uh you need you’re gonna you you can’t and then Spo like set and then Spo like I don’t know, dude. I I I I get it. You don’t trust the young guys. you want that win. But I mean, how many Because here’s it’s like I’m I’m getting overwhelmed. I’m I’m getting I’m getting too wrapped up in this. This is supposed to be a gentlemanly recap. I’m sipping. I’m not I’m not sucking down shots. But um yeah, dude, you you got to you got to win a game like that. you know, maybe in another match up where there’s not so much size, but in you got to have for for two things. One, just science, and two, like, let’s get these guys going, dude. Like, if this season’s going to mean anything and you’re going to trust these guys, I don’t know. How many times are you and Bam gonna ram your heads into the wall in this fourth quarter? You know, like, it’s right there for you guys. Clutch games, fourth quarter leads. continue to blow it. I don’t know what’s going to take, but you guys, you know, it’s it’s it needs to get fixed because as fun as there was a lot of new fun, this was all too familiar at the end. So, happy heat season everybody. Ultimately, I am happy they are back. I enjoyed the holy hell out tonight. I’m just frustrated at the end. And I’m getting some stuff off my chest. Still love you guys. You’re the best. But let’s get it going already, dude. All right, 81 more to go.

Tobin recaps Miami Heat loss to the Orlando Magic. It was a great back in forth with a lot of lead changes. A missed three goes in and we could be celebrating a lot of good opening night performances from Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell, but in Heat style they blow it in the 4th quarter with some all too familiar issues from Erik Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo struggling to make clutch shots. Jaime Jaquez Jr. resurgence in the works?
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