The Miami Heat Turned A Big 3 Into A Deep 10
The Miami Heat have been no strangers to championship formulas under Erik Spoelstra. Since 2008-09, Spoelstra's first season as head coach following the legendary Pat Riley's decision to step away from the sidelines, only the San Antonio Spurs sport a better win percentage than Miami.
But since the Heatles years brought the franchise two titles, Miami has taken a much different approach to team building. Its Big Three has been replaced by a seemingly unending list of contributors surrounding its foundational stars. The Heat tied for the league lead with 10 players logging at least 1,000 minutes for the same team this past regular season as they adjusted to extended absences from Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Sixth Man of the Year winner Tyler Herro, who each missed double-digit games this season.
And they've continued to adjust during their second-round series against Philadelphia, even while Butler is in the midst of one of the best individual playoff runs in franchise history. With Lowry continuing to be in and out of the lineup as he struggles with a hamstring injury, Spoelstra has had to rely on his depth: P.J. Tucker, Victor Oladipo, Dewayne Dedmon, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus have each taken on key roles for the Heat, who are just one game away from the Eastern Conference finals.
The depth is most apparent on defense, where...