Takeaways From The Miami Heat’s Brutal Game 3 Loss To The Cleveland Cavaliers

The Miami Heat were drubbed by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 124-87.

They are now one loss away from their season ending, with no team in NBA Playoff history having ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series.

Here are some of my takeaways from the game:

Rudderless Offense

The Heat finished this game with a halfcourt offensive rating of 76.2, which ranks in the sixth percentile. They, frankly, could not find a way to score with any sort of consistency.

Tyler Herro, a few days removed from his 33 point performance, finished with 13 points along with a one-to-one turnover ratio, converting on just 38 percent of his shot attempts. The Cavs' defenders were top-locking him all night, denying him the ball and generally running him off the three-point line. Andrew Wiggins made just three of his 10 shots for the second consecutive game.

To top things off, the Heat finished with almost as many turnovers as assists, (18 and 17).

So Much For Defensive Identity

The Heat were supposed to be a strong defensive team, at the very least, after their trade deadline acquisitions. While they weren't a poor defensive team post-Jimmy Butler, ranking 12th in defensive rating, the consistency on that end just hasn't been there.

However, consistency wasn't the issue in this one. They were just flat-out bad. After the Heat got off to a strong start, the Cavs went on a run beginning about halfway through the first quarter and never looked back. There were breakdowns all over the floor and the Heat were, in general, caught scrambling and chasing all game, to no avail. The Cavs finished with a 97th percentile 138 offensive rating, getting up a staggering 44 percent of their shots at the rim, even with All-Star guard Darius Garland out for the Cavs.

Honorable Mention

Davion Mitchell continues to be a sort of silver lining for the Heat throughout all this, seemingly always playing above expectations. He had another game where he played well on both ends, finishing with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds.

When watching the game, very often it felt like he was the only one giving it his all. Statistically, the Heat's offense was about 37 points per possession worse when he wasn't playing, and that's not even the side of the floor he was known for when the Heat traded for him. He's making a real case for the Heat to pay him this offseason.

Takeaways From The Miami Heat’s Brutal Game 3 Loss To The Cleveland Cavaliers

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