NBA Miami Heat

Miami Heat Quietly Trying To Develop A San Antonio Spurs Mindset

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By @blackirishpr

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Every one of us has watched that one movie where the student has to overcome the teacher to get himself to the top. It’s a common theme that plays out in every movie theater and television screen.

This was not exactly what the 2014 NBA Finals turned out to be sold as, but following the 4-1 massacre, the Miami Heat were put into a situation where they were beat into becoming theSan Antonio Spurs’ pupil.

This isn’t a case of learning from an old ally. This is about developing the mindset of a successful team with no dominant superstar at the helm. And that goes way beyond the maintenance of resting aging stars and creating greater ball movement.

Miami has to do something they have not been good at in the past and went on to abandon during the Big Three era — the Heat have to build a team that survives off of the type of mix newcomer James Ennis spoke about.

 “It’s a veteran team. Last year, the Spurs, they had a couple of young players on the bench, so I think that’s going to help in the long run just so we can go to the bench. We have a lot of young guys this year and I think that’s going to help out a lot.” (Miami Herald)

Pulling this off is not as simple as it may seem for a team president — like Pat Riley – who has never shown a tendency to consistently play young talent. However, that trend may change as coach Erik Spoelstra continues to further himself from his mentor’s identity, as he did with his recent change in coaching staff.

No one really knows if a philosophy change can turn Ennis and Shabazz Napier into Danny Green, Patty Mills or Kawhi Leonard, but at least getting younger legs into the lineup will be huge for an organization that has dismissed the thought of athleticism on their team as if they still had a flashy Dwyane Wade in his prime.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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