Miami Heat Fall to Spurs as Spoelstra's Small-Ball Plan Backfires in 107-101 Loss

Steve Kerr's small-ball approach is hard to emulate, especially if a team is not used to it.

Coach Erik Spoelstra relied heavily on a small-ball approach but ended up getting limited results since only Bam Adebayo delivered a consistent performance. The Miami Heat suffered through a frustrating 107-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs recently, exposing that they weren't yet ready for this adjustment.

Heat's Power Rotation Fails to Deliver

The rest of the Heat's big men did not provide Adebayo with any support. Nikola Jovic, who had played well off the bench in recent games, completely struggled. SSB Crack News reported that he missed all five of his field goal attempts, grabbed just one rebound in just more than nine minutes, and posted a minus-13 rating during his time on the court.

As for Kel'el Ware, he had an even more forgettable performance: 0-for-4 from the floor, with a minus-20 in almost 21 minutes of action. He grabbed seven rebounds, but the way he was reluctant to attack the paint and settled for long-distance shots reflected his problems with confidence and aggressiveness.

Spoelstra Demands More Energy and Presence

Before the game, Erik Spoelstra said that Miami would have to lean into small ball lineups to try to negate the Spurs' size and tempo, led by 7-foot-5 rookie Victor Wembanyama, headlining their interior defense. Spoelstra emphasized that against their opponent on Wednesday night, multiple contributions would be more relevant than just scoring.

Afterwards, Spoelstra pulled no punches with his young players. He called for Ware to be more assertive via his defense and rebounding, also singling out Jovic for a lapse in energy following an early missed layup. The message from Spoelstra was clear: young players have to find other ways to be engaged and change the game when shots are not falling.

Third Quarter Collapse Seals Miami's Fate

The Heat's offense came completely undone in the third quarter, scoring just 14 points while shooting an abysmal 21.7% from the field. They were out-rebounded 15-8 during the stretch, allowing the Spurs to seize control.

Forward Simone Fontecchio reflected on the loss, admitting that poor decisions and cold spurts ruined their rhythm. The Italian player said that they let the opponents dictate the pace, and from there, they failed to capitalize on their open shots.

Before the game, Spoelstra even consulted former Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Noah LaRoche about the new Miami offense. However, the team should incorporate Tyler Herro into the new system once he returns from injury.