The Miаmi Heаt beаt the Detrоit Pistоns in their regulаr seаsоn оpening, but they оnly wоn by the slimmest оf mаrgins (103-102). The gаme wаs decided оn the finаl pоssessiоn, when the Pistоns, whо didn’t stаrt аnyоne оlder thаn 22, fаiled tо scоre.
The Heat’s Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and head coach Erik Spoelstra met with reporters after the game to discuss the team’s performance, their feelings about how tight the game was, and the importance of always giving it their all.
Butler, who was out for the whole preseason, yet managed to put up a good effort with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. According to Butler, the team is more comfortable in tense situations and close games.
A close game is “how we like to play,” Butler said. As Spo would tell you, as I would tell you, as everyone in the locker room would tell you: a victory is a win. “We’ve done it every year that I’ve been here it feels like, but a win is a win. Our record is perfect.
Six of Butler’s 18 shots were successful in his first game back from the NBA Finals. There is little doubt that Butler will improve in nearly every facet of the game as the season progresses.
Despite the victory, Bam Adebayo believes there is still some housekeeping to do.
It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek to call a 1-0 club “undefeated” with 81 games still to play in the regular season, but Butler’s fans know better. While a “win is a win,” Bam Adebayo told ClutchPoints that there are still things to work up as they move deeper into the season and aim to prevent losing big leads.
A victory is a victory, but we need to fix our mistakes and figure out how to stop this before the season is over. It’s not something we want to be discussing in the middle of December: how we blew a 19-point lead. Now is the most important time to make the necessary changes. That way, we won’t be nervous the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation.
Adebayo had a great game for the Heat, scoring 22 points and grabbing eight boards.
Incredibly, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated earlier in the week after practice that he would prefer to have close games on the regular because it helps the squad develop “fortitude” for the playoffs. He got his wish tonight as the Pistons rallied to cut the Heat’s advantage to two with under a minute to go.
I still think that, and if you can guarantee a win [in a close game like tonight], I’ll take it nine times out of ten. Spoelstra remarked that if his team could learn to “manage all the emotions and all the late game situations,” the team’s overall performance would improve rapidly. But that will get us laser-focused on making that a priority as we explore all the other alternatives we have for getting there. And once we get the ball in the right spot, we need to know how to make the right plays. I found it to be moving and energizing, with numerous positive aspects and valuable contributions.
With back-to-back games against the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and Saturday, Spoelstra should like the next three games for the Heat on the road if he enjoys close games and competitive basketball. The following Monday, they will face Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks.