3 consecutive wins! Rising to third place in the Eastern Conference. Without Butler and Herro, why did the Heat rise again?

On October 29, the NBA regular season continues. The Heat, playing at home, face the challenge of the Hornets. The two teams currently rank in the middle and upper reaches of the Eastern Conference with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Although the Heat unfortunately lost to the Magic in the opening game, the team quickly adjusted its state and subsequently defeated the Grizzlies and the Knicks by big scores. With two hearty victories, they conveyed to the fans their determination to achieve better results. At the lineup level, Powell, who joined from the Clippers this season, has successfully settled into the new core position. His offensive and defensive performance has become an important pillar of the team. In the victory over the Knicks, Powell scored 29 points and became the team's top attacker; supplemented by Adebayor, Wiggins, Harks, Jovic and other powerful players, the Heat's lineup is still capable of fighting in the fiercely competitive Eastern Conference. Facing the relatively balanced Hornets at home this time, the Heat are naturally eager to continue their winning streak and improve their record rankings.

The Hornets, playing away games, are also gaining momentum. Their 2-1 record, which is the same as the Heat, shows the team's resilience this season. In the last game against the Wizards, core guard LaMelo Ball broke out, posting a luxurious triple-double of 38 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, and led the team to a big victory in Washington. It is worth noting that after three consecutive seasons of injuries, Ball returned strongly with his explosive performance at the beginning of the season, using his strength to prove that he is still a strong contender for the Eastern Conference All-Star backcourt. In addition to Ball's core role, Bridges and Sexton's auxiliary performance on the wings and backcourt are equally impressive. The two have recently shown strong scoring and defensive abilities, building a stable combat system for the Hornets. This direct dialogue with the team with a record is not only a key battle for the Heat to defend their home court, but also an opportunity for the Hornets to prove their strength on the road.

Game review: The game entered a high-intensity offensive mode at the beginning. LaMelo Ball was in hot form, making all 4 shots from beyond the three-point line. He scored 15 points in a single quarter and led the Hornets to launch an attack; while the Heat responded strongly by relying on the offensive system of everyone, and took a 3-point lead at the end of the first quarter with multiple points. The situation suddenly changed in the second quarter. LaMelo Ball felt cold and failed to score a point in the entire quarter; the Heat seized the opportunity to set off a three-point frenzy and hit consecutive offensive climaxes. Harks frequently attacked the inside to cause damage, helping the team widen the point difference to 16 points, ending the first half with an overwhelming advantage.

The Hornets launched a counterattack in the second half, using consecutive three-pointers to launch a 21-8 attack wave. The point difference was once narrowed to only 3 points. At the critical moment, Adebayor stepped forward and scored 7 points in a row with sudden inside and outside shots. He led the Heat to respond to the 11-0 attack wave and regain control of the situation. After three quarters, they were leading by 17 points. The Heat continued their strong performance in the final quarter and continued to expand the point difference to more than 20 points, completely extinguishing the Hornets' hopes of a comeback. In the end, the Heat easily defeated their opponents with a disparity of 144-117, and firmly won this duel with the same record.

3 wins in a row! Rising to third place in the Eastern Conference, without Butler and Hiero, why did the Heat rise again?

1. Spoelstra upgraded the tactical system

After Hiero was injured and Dunro was traded, head coach Spoelstra completely optimized the offensive tactics this season and strengthened Adebayor's importance in the system through pick-and-roll cooperation. His pick-and-roll and support abilities were reflected. In today's game, Adebayor scored 26 points, 3 of 5 3-pointers, and a plus-minus value of +29.

The explosiveness of the bench lineup has become the key. Jovic, Harks and others can become explosive points on the offensive end. Fontechio's outside firepower has broadened the scoring dimension. In this campaign, he scored 3 of 4 3-pointers and 10 points.

2. Growth of core players

This season, Weir's progress has been particularly significant. In the first 3 games of this season, he averaged 10.3 points and 7 rebounds per game. His mid-range shooting and finishing ability at the basket have improved significantly. Both shooting rates exceeded 60%, becoming an important addition to the inside. Weir scored 14 points and 9 rebounds in this campaign. Lasson also made significant progress. In this campaign, he made 6 of 10 shots, 3 of 6 3-pointers, and scored 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Harks is an important connection point on the offensive end of the Heat this season. As the core scorer of the second team, his breakthrough with the ball is extremely impactful, and he can efficiently finish at the basket. His shooting rate this season is 70%. When the core is off the court, he can take on the responsibility of initiating offense and scoring, effectively continuing the firepower and becoming a key depth support in the Heat's offensive system. In today's game, Powell was absent, and Harks became the Heat's top attacker. He scored 28 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, with a plus-minus value of +43!

3. Strengthening of the defensive end

New aid Davion Mitchell is an aggressive defensive player, especially in ball defense and rebounding, which has enhanced the team's defensive intensity. Today, Mitchell scored 8 points and 9 assists. Adebayor also invested a lot on the defensive end. Powell is an upgraded version of Hiero on both ends. Powell averaged 24 points and 7.3 rebounds in the 3 games he joined the Heat, shot 50% from 3-point range, and averaged 2 steals per game. In addition, Wiggins had the title of top 3D during the Warriors period. Today Wiggins threw away the thermos cup and scored 21 points, including 3 of 6 3-pointers!

What do you think of the Heat's performance this season?