NBA power rankings week 13: Halfway mark, OKC Thunder hold steady

Miami Heat:

Offense: (111.1) tied 8th
Defense: (107.8) tied13th
Net: (plus +3.2) tied 11th

Games Week 13 (2-1 ): Won vs. Spurs: 106-100, Thunder: 115-108,  Lost vs.Spurs: 102-107
Games Week 14 (3 games):  Mon vs. Kings | Weds vs. Wizards | Fri vs. Clippers

One game after leveling their road record the Heat lost a game they seemingly had in hand. I’ve been high on them all season but there are some notable areas to watch.

How long will this two-three zone heavy defense work? Does Spoelstra have another option up his sleeve or is this system being utilized more to help the youngsters on the club?

To that end, there is a good reason why the Heat home (18-1) and road (11-12) record is vastly different. For as great as Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson have performed they are still rookies or sophomores and as is typical for youngsters they simply feel more at ease on their home court.

And, as the Spurs demonstrated there are ways opponents can attack the zone. Although this method worked against a Raptors club ask yourself how the Heat would fare with that zone now that four players back who all shoot between 38.8 percent and 46.7 percent from the perimeter along with Marc Gasol who would be a factor with Adebayo plus Siakam and Powell who could drive into the heart of the zone or shoot from outside.

Let’s revisit this theory in a couple weeks since the Heat has a five-game homestand.  After that, they’ll embark on six of eight on the road.