Warriors vs. Heat Preview: Not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven...
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors take on the Heat in Miami. Will the Warriors be able to win their third straight in "Wade" County? And what should you watch for during the game? Find out inside!
Dwyane Wade - Out Norris Cole - Day-to-Day Chris Andersen - Day-to-Day Danny Granger - Day-to-Day
2014/15 Four Factors
eFG%
TOV%
ORB%
FT/FGA
eFG%
TOV%
ORB%
FT/FGA
.544 (2nd)
16.7 (28th)
21.7 (28th)
.221 (13th)
OFF
.532 (3rd)
14.8 (25th)
20.2 (29th)
.254 (4th)
.446 (2nd)
14.5 (11th)
73.8 (18th)
.219 (17th)
DEF
.515 (24th)
14.4 (12th)
74.8 (15th)
.226 (21st)
★★★
The Golden State Warriors travel to Miami, and for the first time in forever, they'll do it as the heavy favorite. The 10-2 Dubs are the talk of the NBA world, having shifted into another gear after an impressive start to the season. The Warriors scuffled in Oklahoma City against a short-handed Thunder team, but before that had demolished decent teams like the Utah Jazz (101-88), the Charlotte Hornets (112-887) and the Brooklyn Nets (107-99). All three contests were essentially over at halftime.
Highlights from Warriors at Heat, 1/2/2014
The common thread has been a renewed focus on ball handling, resulting in far fewer unforced turnovers. Since the loss to San Antonio, the Warriors have averaged a mere 12.4 turnovers per game despite the fastest pace in the NBA. The absent-minded "chuck it out of bounds because lol," and the behind-the-back dimes to that nice lady in the third row have all but vanished in short order.
Given the severity of the Warriors' turnover woes the first seven games of the season (21.9 turnovers per game), its tough to figure out which team is the real Warriors. After all, those first seven games were against some very good teams--the next five teams were definitely a step below. But still, with new pieces being integrated and a new system being learned, we already knew to expect growing pains.
Tuesday night's matinee in Miami probably won't offer the Warriors the test they've been looking for since flunking versus Tony Parker and the Spurs two weeks ago. The Heat aren't a great defense, ranking 19th in Defensive Efficiency, and their slow, plodding offensive pace (28th in the league) plays right into the Warriors hands as an elite half court defense.
If Dwyane Wade is healthy, he can be a handful. Luol Deng is a solid player, and Chris Bosh is well-known as an elite mid-range shooter for any position, though those numbers are down this season. But without LeBron James in the lineup, this is a roster that just doesn't present enough variety to attack an elite Warriors defense.
The Warriors look to extend their winning streak to a season-best six games tonight. If they succeed, they will even their record with Miami in the Bosh-Wade era at 4-4.