Miami Heat’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 bears the signature of Erik Spoelstra’s great competence and planning. Frank Vogel had to adapt.
We predicted it, Erik Spoelstra’s would have changed his strategy following the disastrous results of the 2-3 zone defense in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Considering such defense was powerless against the player it was designed to stop, Anthony Davis, the coach of the Miami Heat completely scrapped his plan for Game 3, going with something totally different.
This time, he opted for a more simple approach (for the NBA), deploying a one-on-one defense with systematic double teams on AD. And it paid off.
The big man was forced to a bad game with a terrible first half and found himself in foul trouble throughout the match, which prevented him from getting into a rhythm. With him on the bench, we also saw flashes of a 3-2 zone, which was quickly reverted to a regular individual defense.
Beholding the new approach of Spoelstra, Frank Vogel immediately adapted his strategy, keeping Dwight Howard extra minutes on the floor alongside Davis to take advantage of their size. But AD had soon to leave the floor with the aforementioned foul troubles and Vogel promptly switched to a small lineup with Markieff Morris at the five.
And this lineup worked, making good runs which kept the Lakers in the game. However, in the end, the most effective in the second half was the one with Morris at the four and Davis at the five, although he scored a meager 10 points.
Vogel will have to consider to start with the “small lineup”, moving AD to the center full time, and promoting once again Morris in the starting lineup, as he did against the Houston Rockets.
On the defensive end, more adjustments need to come. When Jimmy Butler has 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, scoring or assisting on 73 Heat’s points, 2nd most in NBA Finals, and is averaging 29.3 points, 7 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the Finals, it is clear what the Lakers must do.
Much like he did in the Western Conference Semifinals with James Harden, Vogel has to count on trapping Butler in systematic double teaming. With Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo out for injuries, he is basically the only initiator for Miami and the motor of the Heat’s offense.
Tyler Herro is a good playmaker too, but he mostly opts for coming from screens for the three or waiting on the arc when the ball is in Jimmy’s hands.
Preventing the Texan from getting into the paint, and forcing the ball out of his hands prematurely should disrupt heavily their offense. Adebayo might return soon to the lineup, but, as of now, the Heat are counting on an everybody-out-of-the-way approach, with four three-point shooters waiting on the arc while Butler creates the game for himself and for his teammates.
Playing 48 minutes with a small lineup and systematically trapping Jimmy Butler looks like the best option at the moment for the Lakers, one they will have to explore seriously in sight of Game 4.