MIAMI – As the Miami Heat thrillingly beat the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, 125-120, it marks the team’s second straight victory at home after a touch stretch after the All-Star break. While the Heat’s belief had come back around after the win against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, Bam Adebayo emphasizes how another impressive performance energizes the team.
There is no doubt that there have been many people that thought Miami was down and out, especially after they traded away Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, where in return, they got Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Kyle Anderson. After a rough patch of many losses consisting of blowing double-digit leads or counterproductive offense performances, the team now has recorded back-to-back outings of hot shooting nights.
Also earning a quality win against the Pacers, Adebayo told ClutchPoints that games like Friday make “you start to get faith.”
“I mean, we’re always gonna have to prove it, easier said than done,” Adebayo said, as he had 18 points on eight for 14 shooting from the field with seven rebounds and seven assists. “But when you go out here and get wins like this, and you start stacking them, and you obviously like, ‘Dang, like, we can beat certain teams. We can beat some of the teams that are in the higher standards than us, and you start to get faith, you start to grow, and then that’s when everybody gets involved, that’s when everybody starts to get that belief.”
Asked Bam Adebayo how he mentioned the team is closer than people think, how Spo says the team has “clarity,” does he believe they’re even closer now?
“When you go out and get wins like this…you start to get faith, that’s when everyone starts to get that belief…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/9VAfxyeGu0
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 1, 2025
Heat’s Tyler Herro on the offense’s production
As the Heat want to take their offense to another level, Friday was an effective display as they shot 57.1 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from three-point range as they also controlled the possession battle against Indiana. Indiana would be red-hot from deep Sunday to start the game, but Miami would turn up their intensity in the second half and outlast them just like they did to Atlanta the other night.
Miami’s lone All-Star Tyler Herro led the way with 29 points on 11 for 25 shooting from the field, three of 10 from deep, to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. He would mention how with other nights the shots not falling compared to the last few games, Herro expresses how it’s just “the game of basketball.”
“I mean, a lot of this is the game of basketball. It’s just how it goes,” Herro said. “You know, some nights, shots fall, some nights, they don’t. I think ultimately, staying consistent to the shot patterns that we’re getting, the shot profile. We’ve been generating good shots since the all-star break, so we want just to continue to do that. We have amazing shooters on this team, guys that can attack, guys that can finish. So it’s about trusting the process and sticking with what the coaches have put us through.”
Tyler Herro on the offense having back to back games of productive nights. Says that they’ve been generating quality shots since the All-Star break. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/l1RjnEzlcF
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 1, 2025
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on what has been a “great starting point”
The Heat’s X-factors contributed in huge ways, such as Davion Mitchell, Haywood Highsmith, Alec Burks, Duncan Robinson, and others, led to game-changing runs in the second half. Head coach Erik Spoelstra would say that Miami has a “locker room that is unselfish” and how everybody wants their teammate to play well.
“We want to continue to build on this,” Spoelstra said about the win. “You know, the more guys that can feel confident in the role, have clarity in that, can be live threats out there, the better it is for us. We have a locker room that is unselfish. Guys want to make plays for each other, everybody in the locker room loves to see their teammate play well, and they want to try to help their teammate pretty well, that’s a great starting point. And so I think hopefully the clarity, you know, can give guys a little bit more confidence and then momentum.”
Erik Spoelstra on if the past two games are what he envision the offense looking at when it’s 100%. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/aA9Dva9jkG
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 1, 2025
Tyler Herro on the Heat’s mindset among constant rotation changes
Spoelstra continues to change around rotations and lineups as Kel’el Ware, the rookie center who has started the last 17 games, didn’t start the second half in favor of Burks. Plus, Heat’s young star Jaime Jaquez Jr. suffered a nasty ankle injury that led to more minutes for others on the bench, but for Herro, “it’s by any means necessary.”
“Right now at this point in the season, it’s by any means necessary,” Herro said. “We’re trying to get wins. So Coach Spo saw some things, you know, in the first half that he felt made an adjustment going into the second half. I don’t think it’s permanent. We’ll see, but I think next game can be different. You know, at this point, we’re trying to achieve wins by any means necessary. And whatever that takes, we’re going to do.”
Tyler Herro on the adjustments made by Erik Spoelstra where the rotations are constantly being changed.
“At this point, we’re just trying to win by any means necessary…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/QfFyT7i0ld
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 1, 2025
At any rate, Miami is now 28-30 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference as they look for three straight wins Sunday night against the New York Knicks.
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