CLUTCH: Bam Adebayo DELIVERS Miami Heat’s BEST Win, Team OUTLASTS Clippers in Thriller

CLUTCH: Bam Adebayo DELIVERS Miami Heat’s BEST Win, Team OUTLASTS Clippers in Thriller

Miami welcomed back Norman Powell from injury and he got revenge on his former team with a big win on the road. We’ll break down the game on tonight’s episode of Locked on Heat. [Music] You are Locked on Heat, your daily Miami Heat podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Heat, your daily podcast on the Miami Heat. Whether you’re tuning in on YouTube or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks so much for making Lockdown Heat your first listen every day. Join the Cookie Gang. Become an Everydayer by subscribing. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app. Create an account. Use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. I’m Wes Goldberg, host of Lockdown NBA Daily and Real Jam Radio. I’m here with David Rmill. Both of us are credentialed Heat Media members who cover this team every day. Recording this at 1:11 a.m. Eastern time after the Heats win over the Clippers on the West Coast. Gutsy win on the road. Second night of a backtoback following a uh brutal loss to the Lakers. They play the other LA team, the Clippers. 18 lead changes, David, in this one. High pressure. Felt like it could go either way, but at the end of the day, it was Bam out of bio. I thought he was just fantastic all game, but especially at the end. The game was tied with four minutes left and then Bam scored or assisted on Miami’s final seven points. Had a huge stop on James Harden when he got switched into an isolation possession on him. Uh came in with a timely double on Kawhai on the potential gamewinner. He went toe-to-toe. Bam did with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in this game. And I don’t think you could say in this one that there was anybody on that court better than Bam. I think that’s fair. Uh it was just a huge win overall. like watching band play was fantastic, but it was just a real team effort and I was curious to see how the Heat would respond because in the past we’ve seen when a group might be hard to define. I think you’re certain I think this team is still really difficult because we’ve seen some real positives here, especially the way the offense has just been phenomenal, but then they have a setback against Victor Webbyama and the Spurs. They lose in a game where their defense just completely falls apart against the Lakers. And you don’t want that to snowball into, okay, here comes a losing streak and this team just can’t seem to figure it out. This was huge. I I I think this is the early favorite for the game of the year for this team because for them to be able to secure a win on the road in the second night of a backto-back. Welcoming Norma Powell was a huge boost. Absolutely. But yet for them to collectively handle run after run and both teams to their credit had numerous runs throughout the game. one team would go up 10, then the other team would respond and go up 10, and it was back and forth almost all night, as you said, numerous lead changes, and it was a really competitive game. But for Miami to be able to handle this, I think this really shows their metal. I think this shows how tenacious they are, how committed they are, and they really believe in themselves, this is a far better team than a lot of people expected, and they really showed it tonight against the Clippers. The game chart to this game is insane. I don’t know if you checked it out. NBA.com has it where it kind of shows the game flow of it. I’m going to put it up on YouTube for people that are watching us here. It’s wild. Like if you looked at this game chart and I just kind of cut off the last minute, you would have no idea who won this game, right? It it it goes back and forth quite literally. Um and it was such a high I don’t know about you, David, watching this game, even at my tired, bleaguered state here at 12:30, 1:00 in the morning, like I was on the edge of my seat just watching this game. It was I mean it felt like a playoff game in some ways and the amount of pressure that there was in this game. I agree with you. I think it was the game of the year. It was definitely the most intense game of the year. You could argue maybe the Memphis Grizzlies one was better just for uh piece of mind sake. I think it was a blowout. But um I thought it was a tremendous effort. The Heat 0 and2 to start this trip. And it’s easy to just write that off as you know what you didn’t have Norm Pal for the last three games. It’s really hard to score. Defensively they just weren’t there against the Lakers. Um, but they were they a got Norm Powell back in this game and you could just tell right away his impact on this game. Had five of Miami’s first seven points in this one. Uh, obviously the revenge factor part of this was a big deal for him. He’s hugging Steve Balmer at the end of that at the end of the game. So, there’s still some sort of relationship there with the franchise. But, um, I thought the defense was another big story in this game, David, because you were right to call it out. I you I I said that the offense was the bigger issue against the Lakers. You said it was the defense. I kind of went back and watched some of the film. I think you were right. I think it was mostly the defense. I mean, they just they couldn’t get stops when they needed it and that was the opposite of the case. Not necessarily in the first half, but in the second half in this game, um they got those key stops when they needed it, especially against Harden and Kawawaii down the stretch, even when uh the refs missed a very clear foul on Norm Pal and then ended up calling it a jump ball. So that Pal at 6’5 had to jump against Zubach who’s like 7 foot one. Uh, and he was he was going to lose that jump ball every time. And then that leads to Kawawaii getting a shot at the end there. And Pal’s defending him. And then Bam comes in with the with the double team. And then I think another player, was it DaVon maybe comes over with the late kind of help on that uh forces Kawhai into a tough jumper. But just like a minute before that, we saw Kawhai hit that the shot that he hit in game seven against the Sixers from that same corner. Um, he hit that shot. So Kawhi lifts for that final shot. And I’m like th this is probably going to go in. Fortunately, it didn’t. But the defense gave up 71 points in the first half, 48 points in the second half. Really tightened up in a way that offense has been the story for most of the season for the Heat. I thought defense was most of the story in the second half of this one. What did you see that was different, though? That’s interesting. I think they did a lot more trapping. Um, I think you saw a lot of much more opportunistic defense where if if they weren’t scared to kind of sag off somebody in order to provide much more help defense and you saw guys like DaVon Mitchell, I think you saw Andrew Wiggins do it. saw Bam do it like where they would just they would leave whoever it was they were gu guarding and and try to help out knowing that you have on the ball handler on the ball handler oneonone players like Harden like why that know once they get the ball in their hands more often than not although both of them excellent playmakers they’re going to be willing to take that shot especially as the shot clock winds down and you can send that pressure and force a turnover and that’s exactly what they did they either forced them into a real tough situation or if they had to pass out again with a shot clock expiring ing it was going to be a matter of them trying to, you know, again, get into a teammate who was going to force a bad shot as the shot clock expired. And so I think that led to some really good opportunities for Miami to play their offense to go get, you know, get into those defensive stops and then ignite their offense the way that we’ve seen through the first few games of the season. So it was a really solid showing. I I mean a number of performers that really stepped up. Khil Wear was huge. I know he struggled. Wait, can I can I go back to the defense part? I want to go back to the double. Absolutely. So, that is something that I’m noticing the Heat do a lot more. It’s not that they’re not systematically a double every ball screen team. They’re not a blitz and help team the way that they were in the big three era where hey, we’re just going to do this every we’re going to come flying at you every single time and try to disrupt you defensively. Um, you use the word opportunistic, that’s exactly what it is, right? And and the Heat actually have a call for the like that double the ball handler. So, and they call it black. You you go black the ball handler, right? And it’s when the ball handler either turns his back to a defender, to the helpside defender, or picks up his dribble, and then the nearest defender just comes in. And it’s got to be a certain point of the shot clock. They’re not going to do it with 20 seconds left because the the escape dribble or the escape pass is just too easy at that point, and then you can get beat when you’re in rotation. But if it’s at the end of the shot clock, they’re going to do that. And they’ve been doing it a little bit, dabbling with it over the first few games. They really cranked it up in this one. And I think that’s part because of the matchup here. They know the Clippers are a little bit more of a heliocentric type of offense. It’s basically going to be Harden or Kawawaii every single time. And push comes to shove, they don’t want to pass the ball, those guys. So you get a little bit more opportunistic, I think, when it comes to doubling those guys. But, you know, over the last few games, we’ve seen them dabble with fullcourt press, with a lot more zone. Saw a little bit of zone in this one. Not nearly as much press as we saw against the Lakers, but what you’re seeing here defensively, and I think it’s been a little bit of a slow roll, funny enough, for this Heat team. Offensively, they’re way ahead of schedule. Defensively, it still feels like they’re maybe figuring things out a little bit on that end, and they’re experimenting with some stuff. And I think what you’re seeing early on in the season is from Spo is a willingness to experiment with a lot of different schemes and a lot of different looks with this personnel. That’s a good point. Um, and and look, I mean, they did hold this Clippers team to 119 points. It’s a pretty it’s a slow paced team but at the same time they’re capable and when you have two great scorers Harden and Kaw were both phenomenal. They got a number of contributions up and down. Zubot has been great play at an almost all-star level last year and and I think you you you still had your hands full and they did a pretty admirable job. I think it was phenomenal forcing them into 20 turnovers, a number of steals. I think 12 total steals from the team. So really good night defensively and then they enough offense to really maybe not the same kind of fast pace that we’ve seen from them earlier in the season, but still a really good showing overall. And considering how good the Clippers defense is and the way Tyoo does typically find a good scheme that could mitigate what another team is trying to do, I think it was a really again an impressive win for Miami for them to be able to figure it out to bounce back to take these punches throughout the course of the game and say, you know what, we’re not going to walk out of here with a loss. and they really made a concerted effort in that second half tightening up their defense. Phenomenal. That was such a drastic change from what we saw in the first half. Last year, I think that team would have squandered a second or double digit deficit and it would have been even worse. Like they would have gone to a 20 point something deficit. That was not the case. They clawed their way back pretty consistently. So, I really it just shows what this team is capable of and how much they believe in themselves. 37 points off of turnovers in this game. to your point, they forced uh 12 steals in this one, which is Oklahoma City Thunder levels, literally. I mean, that’s what the Thunder it’s like it’s the best game ever for the Heat defensively. It’s just like another day at the office for the Thunder. That said, um they also forced uh the Clippers into turnover on 20% of their possessions by far a season high for Miami, who have before this not forced an opponent into more than uh a turnover on more than 15.6% of their possessions was their previous high. And that was opening night against the Magic. Harden Harden had seven turnovers. Yeah, that sounds about right. A couple of just like ripaways. Like I think I just I counted like three or four just like Gimmedat balls. Yep. In in this game. I thought that was great. Um and then defensively I really liked besides like the the opportunistic and timely doubles and traps and stuff like that. I thought they did a really nice job. I think Harden and Kawhai both had 17 points each in the first half. They were a lot more limited in the second half except for a couple of spurts. Again, some really tough shots by both of them in the second half. Like whatever they got, they earned it in that second half and and maybe they didn’t even really earn it. Maybe they got a little lucky and and whatever. They’re they’re great players. I don’t mean to take anything away from them, but um showing a lot more help at the nail. Uh a lot more pinching, a lot more just sort of building a wall on those pick and rolls that they want to try to get to. And and I thought like defensively Miami was just so much more locked in in the second half. But um we got some individual performances to highlight. We got some baked goods to hand out in the next segment. We’ll do it next here on Locked on Heat. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Basketball season is officially here, and nothing beats being in the arena for those opening games. But let’s be real, getting tickets could be a total headache between waiting in cues, prize fees, and prices that jump right before checkout. It’s easy to get frustrated when all you want to do is cheer on your team. And that’s where Game Time comes in. It’s the app that gives fans the advantage. It’s your ultimate life hack for scoring amazing NBA tickets fast, easy, and stress-free. You’ll love the feature where you see exactly what you’re paying for. No hidden fees at checkout. You can see exactly where your view is from wherever seats you pick, especially if it’s a new venue. Maybe you’re not sure if you’re getting a good look at the stage or the court. And with game time, you see exactly what the seats will look like and what the view is from those seats. It’s a great great way of buying tickets and finding the cheapest prices available. Their zone deals are game changers and you can even find NBA tickets for under $25. Take the guess work out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code locked on NBA, you get $20 off your first purchase. Serves do apply, but that’s code L ke NBA for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. It’s that easy. That’s game time. We’ll be right back. [Music] It’s another heat win, which means it’s time for the tastiest segment on Locked on Heat. It is time for credit cookies. David, as always, for those who are new here, we have 10 cookies to give out. We all lot them to those who are deserving. We can’t go more than 10. We can’t go less. No fraction cookies. It’s just the 10 cookies. Who’s getting the first batch, David? I think it’s pretty obvious you have to go with Bamabay. Uh you mentioned his performance throughout the game, but I think he was most impressive like towards the tail end where he hit a shot over Zubach uh and then had a big stop against James Harden on the other end and then came back down and was calling for the ball. And that was what really stood out to me is that he’s demanding the ball. He did it on a couple different possessions after that as well, not to the same effect, but he called for the ball, was attacking Zubach right away. Said, “You know what? I like this matchup. Drew a foul on Zubach, nailed the two free throws, and you could just see that there was a level of aggression there where he wanted to carry this team to a victory. And that’s exactly what he did. Phenomenal statline. What was it? 25 points overall. Really great scoring, two of four from three-point range, uh 10 of 16 overall, five of five from the line. Really solid. 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals. So, just a monster game from him. and he had a couple snafoos here and there, but overall a really, really solid effort and that’s why I had to give him the three credit cookies. Three credit cookies to ban. We already talked about him enough. Who’s next? Uh, I’ve also got two credit cookies for the man returning for revenge. That’s Norman Powell. I really liked what he did right away. He wanted to put his imprint early on and he was sensational either assisting or scoring on the first few possessions of the game. Really just letting him everybody know that he’s still a legitimate threat. Nowhere from injury. It didn’t seem like there was any kind of a, you know, nothing, no impact from it and he just was dynamic all night. Really, really solid overall game. So, he gets two credit cookies for me. So, I loved everything about Pal’s game and it’s the things that we’ve been talking about with him all season long. The quick decision making, the three-point shot. I mean, the spacing that he provides. We got a starting lineup change in this one, right? So, Keller goes to the bench. Nico is not the other front court guy. Uh, Spogo’s small against a I know technically the Clippers play small, but everybody is so big on that team that you can’t really I don’t qualify them as a small team, but that said, um, they don’t really play another big, right? They have Kawhai and Derrick Jones Jr. as their forward. So, you see Spoon Mitchell, Norm Pal, Pella Larson in the starting lineup, who I’m sure we’ll get to here in a second, Wiggins, and Bam. Um, and Pal with his spacing in that group is so important because when you look at that group, yes, it’s quote unquote small, but who’s the dangerous shooter in that group, right? Even a guy like Wigs who is for his career a very accomplished three-point shooter. You don’t really think of him that way, right? He’s much more of a downhill kind of guy. He’s not a volume three-point guy. With Pal, even though he only took three point three three-point attempts in this game, you still got to space out and defend him when he’s out there. And I thought his impact even off the ball was tremendous in this one. But who’s next? I gave two to Khil Wear. Uh I think he had a really good bounceback game. Yeah, I think it was solid. I I I think particularly in the second half, it seemed like he was just a little bit more engaged there and we saw uh him struggle against the Lakers looked a little bit out, but I got to give credit where credit is due. And I think he had a really good game there. Active, engaged, uh just chasing after blocks, doing a really good job there, but not putting himself out of position. Those were well timed. This wasn’t Hassan Whiteside trying to rack up statistics here. I think they were trying to he was trying to make impact plays and find ways to win. Had a nice couple of rebounds here and there and finished with a good number of points too. So I think it was a really solid shooting night for him and and that’s what you’re looking for. Like we don’t want to keep going into this cycle of spoke calling you out, spo punishing you or taking you out of the lineup the way he did against the Lakers and then having to force him to bounce back. But that’s what he did. And so even when it’s not ideal, he has to get credit for having a big bounceback game after struggling against the Lakers. So, we have seven cookies already given out, which means we have three left. Correct. I don’t know that I’m going to agree with you on Kell here. I think maybe one cookie, but go ahead. Tell me quickly. Tell me who else got cookies. And then we can kind of do the deep dives into them. One piece each for Andrew Wiggins, who I think had a number of solid scores here. Some nice defensive possessions as well. One for Larson. He wasn’t so productive, but he did have monster contributions here, particularly defensively. you know, he took a number of charges to. He was great. And then one for Dave Mitchell, who again didn’t put up the points, but was really an excellent playmaker and did play solid defense throughout the game. So, I hear you. I think where deserves as many cookies as somebody like Pella. I don’t want to get too caught up in the box score there. I You watched the game. Can you really tell me where made a greater impact than Pella Larson in that game? Pel Arson was everywhere doing stuff. He was phenomenal in that game. I feel like we got to switch it. I feel like two for Pella, one for Kell. I listen I I understand. I I just feel like I’m I’m giving the kid an opportunity here because I really do think that Pella is going to continue to put up big numbers. So, I’m kind of feeling sorry for Kalilla after um No, we got to keep him on the hook here. We got to be like, “Hey, man. You really want those two cookies?” We got to coach him hard just like Spo. We all got to be on the same page here in Miami. Pella was a plus 11. He was a team high plus 11 in this game. Yeah, I I mean the impact play steals. Three steals. Yeah, I I get it. All right. I up Kawhi a couple times. Kawhi went at him and Pel was like, I don’t know who you think I am, but I ain’t this. I’m not taking one away from Wigs because I thought he was great with his 17 points. And I think Davon again had some nine assists like he’s solid overall. Nine plus my second and highest on the team to Pella. I I don’t know man. Let’s swap it. Pella two, Kell one. This is where we need one and a half cookies. Like I think E should give one and a half. All right, I hear you. But all right, fine. Maybe in the playoffs we’ll start doing half cookies when it when it gets real real crunch time here. Um no, I think this was all good. Uh, I think the the obvious one that isn’t on your list is Hammy Hakas Jr. who I didn’t think was bad. Had five assists um and six rebounds. I thought he was better in the first half than he was in the second half. Kind of disappeared in the second half. Um, but what a tremendous game from Pella, man. Like again, starting lineup change for Spo. Pella starts for Norm Pal while Pal was out for three games with this groin thing. Plays so well in that starting group that Spo’s like, I can’t take this guy out, right? And then you watch him and you’re like, “Yep, I get it.” And he’s just he’s a no frills player. He doesn’t demand a ton of shots, right? He takes four field goal attempts in this game. Wiggins gets 12. Bam gets 18. Powell gets 10. DaVon gets nine, right? Like he’s taking the fewest field goal attempts of anybody who played a ton of minutes in this game, right? Even Kell off the bench had eight. Haime had nine attempts. Uh Simone had six shot attempts in 16 minutes. Like, but he doesn’t need the attempts, right? He gets to the free throw line anyway for uh on two separate occasions. Has three assists, three steals in this game, just manages to make an impact. And the thing I loved about him in this game specifically against Kawawaii and Harden of all people, didn’t get his hand caught in the cookie jar. In the credit cookie jar. In the credit cookie jar, yes. In the regular foul cookie jar, no. Like only called for one foul and only committed one turnover in this game. And by the way, I think this is three straight games now that he’s drawn an offensive charge. It does feel that way. Against the Spurs, did he do it? I can’t recall. Maybe it’s like three out of the last four games, but he’s on a roll right now. That’s fair. Look, I I mean, I I really do like his performance. It was really solid. Understated in a way, but yet you felt those moments really I think they were almost magnified and they really helped kind of uh provide an emotional boost and an actual one out on the court as well. Like, but it the charges were phenomenal. He doesn’t have any back down in him like he is going to really just take on any challenge and you kind of see him grow and even his confidence like I know he didn’t score much but at one point you know they swung the ball out to him and he was just like you know what I’ve got it I’m gonna let it fly and that’s exactly what did he nailed the three-pointer at a crucial point where Miami was making a comeback or at least trying to either build their lead maybe at that point but either way the the performance was just really really great and and the impact it was tangible in a way that Maybe Khil’s was it, but I I How many spoisms do we get from from Eric Spolstra about when he’s asked about Pel Larson in post? Oh, winning plays. That’s 100%. He’s going to say continues to make winning plays for sure. He might point out the plus minus. That’s a new spo thing this season. He likes to point out the plus minus this year. Yeah. Um, for sure. I I think he he just loves the way Pel plays out there. And yeah, urgency drop in this one. uh committed to winning maybe and then beyond winning basketball or winning plays like it’s just when asked about the starting job he’ll say something like he earned it. Yes, for sure. Will he will he mention the make me watch you make me play you or Yeah, it feels a little early at that point or Yeah, I don’t know. um that and that that is I think somebody else is going to have to step up at some point over the next month or so and that’s going to going to get that one because that’s a big one, you know. Yeah, for to admit that, you know, I’ve been watching you like that. That’s that’s a big one for feels like that might be reserved for a Yakonis when he gets back and gets healthy maybe. Uh coming up, Heath fans know what it means when your star player can’t find joy on the court anymore. Oh boy. Now Grizzlies fans do too. We’ll be right back. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or you just want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. We’ll be right back. [Music] So, I want to go to Memphis for a second and talk about John Morant. Um, one game suspension over the weekend uh for conduct detrimental to the team. Apparently, uh, Tomas Iselo, the Grizzlies head coach, has, uh, concerns about John’s leadership stylings of some kind, um, suspends him for that, suspends him in a game very early in the season for that kind of suspension. Comes back, they drop a game on Sunday, and then they lose tonight. Uh, and then after the game, he was asked by Demich Cole, who’s co-host Locked on Grizzlies by the way, um, if he has his quote usual joy right now. End quote. John Moran said, “Quote, no. Period.” Nice. Jaw was asked a follow-up by a reporter. What could be done to get it back? He said, quote, “We’ll see. Period.” End quote. Yeah. No joy for John Morant. Uh, sounds a lot like Jimmy Butler last season. Granted, much later in the season in January, but sounds like a lot like Jimmy Butler. Uh, can heat fans give Gridley’s fans a little bit of advice here, David? Uh it’s a different situation though, Jimmy, the older player looking for uh his last big payout. Uh I think this is Jaw just disagreeing with the new coaching staff and not quite comfortable his role there and I think the losing is starting to add up too and it’s early in the season. You think maybe they can turn around. But even before that, I think last I can’t recall exactly what day was I want to say Thursday or Friday where he was asked about certain problems that were taking place there and his response adnauseium was ask the coaching staff, ask the coaches, etc. So that’s not great. That to me that’s uh already like you know what I don’t like you guys. I don’t give a damn. I don’t think he’s ready to ask for a trade or anything like that. It probably won’t be anytime soon, but he is not happy there and I don’t know that he’s going to get happiness anytime soon. So, if there’s advice for Memphis fans that I’d give him, it’s buckle up because it’s going to get worse from here. Yeah, this sounds like he has a real concern with the coaching staff, which is funny because he had a concern with the coaching staff last year and that’s why there was all those firings, right? So, they come in. Funny enough, uh, Nola Roach, who is a consultant now with the Miami Heat, who helped install this new no ball screen uptempo offense, first got his job, got a start on the NBA coaching staff with Memphis last year, and they try to introduce this new no ball screen offense. And John Morant is like, “Nah, I’m not really feeling it, and I want the ball screens again.” Which makes sense. Like John Morant has been one of the best pick and roll, you know, guards, scorers in the league for years. So he’s like, “Yeah, I don’t really want to do this anymore. I want the pick and roll stuff back.” And then towards the end of the year gets a little bit rocky. Chris Finch, uh, not Chris Finch, uh, Taylor Jenkins out. Um, another Nola Roach out and then Iselo is promoted back up to head coach from assistant to head coach and he installs a heavy ball screen offense. And as a matter of fact, in that game where Miami played and beat the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies ran more pick and roll in that game than the Heat, I think, still have yet to run all season. I mean, they are spamming the pick and roll. It’s like, “Hey, Jaw, you wanted to play pick and roll. Here you go.” But now he apparently has concerns about his playing time. And so there’s just not a whole lot of making Jarant happy. And that does sound a little bit about like where the Heat were with Jimmy Butler towards the end there. It’s like, “Hey, what do you want to do?” Right? You’ve got your people out here saying that you should be playing point guard, then we want you to play point, and you’re saying you should be, and now we were kind of put you a point guard. Now you’re saying you don’t want to be a point guard and now you’re saying like, “Oh, we’re sticking you in the corner on offense and now you don’t like it.” Whatever it is, it just felt like at there was a point of no return where no matter what the Heat did, there was just never going to make Jimmy Butler happy. And we all know why, right? It was the contract. There was they could have, you know, I don’t they could have whatever. I don’t know what they could have done, but as long as it wasn’t giving him the contract that he won and he wasn’t going to be happy with Jaw. I don’t know. It just kind of feels like maybe he’s unhappy with the losing. It’s not even like they’ve lost a ton in Memphis. It’s not like he’s playing in Charlotte. I don’t know. He just He just seems over it. That’s That’s the thing, right? It’s It really feels like, you know what? I just I don’t like it here anymore. And uh I don’t know if it was the change in the coaching staff. I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t feel like he got the support from the franchise when he was going through his offc court issues. Um you wonder whether or not there’s just a fractured relationship there. And and once you get to that point, rarely do we see that relationship get repaired. It there has to be a wide sweeping change to like appease him at a level that I don’t know we’ve seen from any team or any one player other than maybe Kobe Bryant. Uh other than that, uh it just doesn’t feel like Jaw’s ever bound to get his happiness or his joy back. So I look again I I don’t think they want to make that trade, but I I think they’re more open to it to more open to it today than they were say a week or two ago. So I I think that really speaks a lot to how bad things just feel in Memphis right now. Something we can explore on a future episode of Lockdown Heat, whether heat champ fans should be throwing Jarant into the trade machine. But that’ll do it for us tonight, this morning, whatever time it is. that. Let us know in the YouTube comments what you thought about the game, what you think about potentially going after John Morant even. Thank you for making Lockdown Heat your first listen every day.

Miami Heat seize a gutsy road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers as Bam Adebayo dominates down the stretch, outplaying stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. With Norman Powell returning from injury and getting revenge against his former team, the Heat showcased resilience amid 18 lead changes, raising questions about whether this game marks a turning point in their season.

Wes Goldberg and David Ramil break down Miami’s defensive transformation in the second half, highlight crucial strategic adjustments by Erik Spoelstra—including opportunistic trapping and timely double teams—and debate standout performances from emerging players like Pella Larson and Khalil Ware. Analysis dives into Powell’s impact, adjustments to the starting lineup, and the broader implications for the Heat’s playoff prospects. Plus, the hosts weigh in on potential roster moves and the drama surrounding Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Will this win propel Miami’s momentum in the Eastern Conference?

0:00 – Bam, Heat Edge Clippers
5:40 – Defense Adjustments & Tactics
13:06 – Credit Cookies & Individual Standouts
23:11 – Ja Morant, Grizzlies Drama

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