With Haslem and Miller bookending the Big Three, Spoelstra bucks tradition. There’s no point guard. There’s no center. And evidently, there’s no mercy, either.
How has this five-man unit annihilated the competition?
Defensively, it is a machine -- both literally and figuratively. The Heat’s movements and rotations look so mechanical that it appears almost automated. Whenever a shot goes up, it is contested. Whenever a driving lane appears to open up, it is closed. Whenever help is needed, it is provided.
All in all, the Heat’s defensive efficiency with this lineup is a staggering 73.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. How suffocating is that? The Heat ranked as one of the top defenses in the league, but this unit has allowed nearly 25 points below the Heat's norm...
How about offensively? Yeah, the Heat are pretty good there, too. When they’re not running in transition off turnovers, the Heat space the floor with three shooters outside of Wade and James. When James or Wade penetrates into the teeth of the defense, that forces help defenders to pick their poison: leave a sharpshooter, or stay at home to prevent the kickout.
When you watch the film, you’ll notice that the Big Five unit doesn’t do anything magical from an X-and-O’s standpoint, but the offense remains destructively simple. The Heat plant Miller on the 3-point line, and unleash a barrage of pick-and-roll tandems. Wade-James. Wade-Haslem. Wade-Bosh. James-Bosh. James-Haslem. With two big men who wield automatic 15-footers, it’s an opposing defense’s nightmare. And with this lineup, the Heat have scored 15 points per 100 possessions more than they normally do.