While the Miami Heat look ahead to Game 4 against the Boston Celtics Monday night, part of the preparation is looking back at the previous three games and seeing how to respond. When looking back, it is eye-opening to see how there have been a lack of playing time for stars Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love as Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra explains the reasoning behind it.
The answer is pretty simple for Robinson as it is very noticeable that he is not at 100 percent health as the star is still dealing with a back injury specifically labeled as “left facet syndrome.” He has been dealing with this issue towards the end of the season where he missed a significant amount of time, but he's at the point where he can play.
In terms of his minutes, he played 15 in Game 1, 17 in Game 2, and just seven in Game 3 as Spoelstra credited the reasoning as “looking for a spark” since the team was down by as much as 29 points at one point.
“I was looking for some kind of spark once we were down 20,” Spoelstra said after the Heat lost to the Celtics in Game 3. “Duncan’s not going to make an excuse for it. I’m not going to make an excuse for him. We have our guys. We have enough to get the job done. And we understand that challenge. And that’s what our competitors love about this series. We know we have to play hard and we also have to play well. But at that point in the second half, we were down 20. I was just looking for a spark.”
Robinson says it has been a challenge in terms of playing time
As Spoelstra said, Robinson will not make any excuses for his playing time or his health as he's focused on the team aspect of winning the game. He said after Sunday's Heat practice that the team and him are “taking it game by game” and admitted “it's definitely been a challenge” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“I am available,” Robinson said. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help us try to win this next game. Right now, we’re just taking it game by game. So trying to win this next game. It’s definitely been a challenge, for sure. Just trying to wrap my mind around whatever the opportunity looks like, whatever I can do to help us, just doing that.”
Spoelstra explains the lack of playing time for Love in Heat rotation
When it comes to Kevin Love, while he has had his fair share of injuries this season like having a heel bruise which kept him out from the end of February until early April, that isn't the worry in this situation. It has been a common theme in the first round playoff series against the Celtics that Love has had more trouble than ever in seeing playing time.
He saw 13 minutes in Game 1 and in the next two contests, only saw 10 minutes combined of action on the floor which is surprising since he's usually the primary backup center for Heat star Bam Adebayo. Using about the same reasoning for Robinson, Spoelstra was “looking for a spark” and said that it is “not an indictment on anybody.”
“I was looking for a spark once we got down 20,” Spoelstra said of moving away from Love. “This is not an indictment on anybody. Things move fast in a playoff series. It was tough to get a read on anything when we were playing out of that hole for most of three quarters.”
Love talks about staying ready for Heat when they need him
Love is in the midst of playing his 16th season in the NBA so there will never be an ounce of anger towards the decision, though there could be natural frustration since it's a big playoff series. The veteran has embraced his role with the Heat and said after Sunday's practice that it's all about him being able “to just stay ready.”
“I think it’s on me just to stay ready, whether it’s plug minutes or a longer stint or just understanding that this is a team that you have to switch against a lot,” Love said Sunday. “I think naturally that plays to a lot of guys’ strengths and there’s certain lineups where we do that, whether we go small or plug [Nikola Jovic] in at the five, I just think that they’ve in some ways, whether it be offensive rebounding or finding shots in the corner from three, have been able to take advantage of our zone.”
Love admits his flaw in matchup against Boston
The former Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers big-man admitted that it could be a matchup flaw for Love against the Celtics. He would delve into the specifics and say that “chasing those guys off of screens and switching hasn't always been in my bag” according to Brendan Tobin.
“Certainly on the offensive end I know what I'm capable of and I know I can take advantage of that,” Love said. “I think chasing those guys off of screens and switching hasn't always been in my bag. I think I can be effective in different scenarios but they are a team that poses a lot of problems. and that's why theyve been ni some aspects ans some ways historically at the top of offensive output. It's some4thing that we either have the conversation or it's unspoken like I understand that this type of scenario not unlike last year where I played the first three and then we inserted Haywood [Highsmith] into the next four games and ended up winning in seven games.”
It will be interesting to see how Spoelstra uses Robinson and Love in future playoff games as those two have been key to the success of Miami this season. Fans will get to know Monday night when the Heat try to tie the series at two wins a piece in Game 4 inside the Kaseya Center.
Follow Us
Subscribe