The Heat are inexplicably ignited again. What magic did Spoelstra cast?

The Miami Heat have long been known as one of the best physical teams in the league. Just ask Waiters and Johnson, players must pass rigorous physical testing before participating in training camp.

But now, the Heat have not followed the past slow grinding style of play, but have completely raised the rhythm. Since the first seven games of the season, the Heat's game pace ranks first in the league, with an average of 106.4 possessions per 48 minutes.

"We reduced pick-and-rolls and screens; more of the five people spread out and shared the ball," Heat center Adebayor said in an interview after narrowly defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 120-119. "In my opinion, this is the best way to play basketball. We're on this long journey. When you go through this long journey, all 15 of us are in the car. We can't all drive. "

Last season was a wake-up call for the Heat. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers won four games by a total of 122 points, which ultimately became the most one-sided series in NBA playoff history.

"We ended the season at the end of April, and it was a very painful and embarrassing first-round exit," Heat coach Spoelstra said. "We worked a lot emotionally to get that ticket to the playoffs, and we're very proud of it. It took back-to-back road games to earn that ticket. And it was just -- embarrassing. You have to give Cleveland credit for doing that. "

After the Heat's playoff exit, Spoelstra, Adebayo and team president Riley took some time to discuss the changes that needed to be made.

"That sparked a lot of thinking about the need to do things better and do things differently," Spoelstra said.

"We want to change our basketball philosophy," Adebayo added.

One of the changes is that the Heat have to play faster. Since the era of possession-by-possession statistics began in 1996-97 (Riley's second season with the team), the Heat have never ranked higher than 12th in pace (2005-06). In Spoelstra's 17 seasons, the Heat have finished in the top 20 in pace just twice (20th in 2010-11 and 16th in 2011-12).

But for the Heat, it is not enough to just play fast, they must also remain efficient in the process. It's rare for a team to play fast while also ranking in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, but the Heat have done just that, ranking third in the league in defensive efficiency after Tuesday's game.

"Their offense is playing super fast, " Lakers coach Redick said about the Heat's offense. "Then it's just kind of passing the ball and driving over and over again until they get the advantage. Still can't let the ball go to the middle, but last year's Memphis Grizzlies felt very dependent on breaking through the middle. This team doesn't do that. One thing they do well is keep attacking, that weak-side help defender. , whoever just cut, will stay there, and then he basically reads where he should go "

The Heat have the key defensive pieces to get the necessary defensive success to trigger fast-paced offense and defense transitions. Wiggins, acquired from the Golden State Warriors in February in a trade involving Butler, is tasked with guarding opposing teams' top wings.

"I'm used to this rhythm...the Warriors also play fast, and that's what we do now," Wiggins said. "We have the players suitable for this style of play and the manpower. Therefore, we play fast and can score. But the most important part is to complete the defensive stop at the other end. "

Another player, Mitchell, who was traded in February, is responsible for pressuring the ball at the back line. Adebayo is a five-time All-Defensive team player who can play power forward with the seven-foot-long Ware or center with Jovic. Second-year wing Larson also provides energy on the defensive end, while third-year wing Huskers said he's focused on making progress starting on the defensive end.

Rhythm itself is not good or bad. A fast-paced team may give up a lot of fast-break points, just as a slow-paced team may struggle to score on the fast break. The Heat rank ninth in fast break scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by an average of 3.0 points per game.

"If that's what you're implying, I'd rather be undefeated and average 89 points per game," Spoelst joked. "I'll accept that. The rhythm is whatever it is. We're trying to create a style that we think maximizes the characteristics of our personnel. That's it. We're not trying to fool people or what others may think. "

When it comes to staffing, everything comes back to Adebayo. The three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive team member was the center of the court in his prime, working primarily with the now-departed Butler. Last season was the first time Adebayor averaged more than 0.6 three-pointers per game. This season, Adebayor holds the ball approximately 10 times less per game, but takes more frequent three-pointers, increasing from 2.8 three-pointers per game to 6.4. The extra offensive rounds obtained by the Heat also allowed Adebayor to be more aggressive in scoring than ever before, averaging a career-high 22.4 points per game.

"The difference with this team is that it's a collective effort, " Adebayo said. "We've been playing like this all summer. So, coming straight into the season, it's second nature to us. Everybody's involved. You don't know who's going to have a breakout night tonight. That's the beauty of what I love about this team's offense. We share the ball. We get to our spots. We're willing to make sacrifices and enjoy the success of our teammates.. "

This ethos of enjoying the success of others was reflected in the game against the Clippers. Powell, the Heat's most important offseason signing, spent more than three seasons with the Clippers before being traded to the Heat in July. His characteristics represent the change of pace adopted by the Heat this season. He averaged the highest score on the team per game. "I don't know how they played in the past few years; I just know what we are practicing now," Powell said. "That's my style, you know: fast pace, high speed, attack gaps, transition offense." Like I said, I think my skills are pretty well-rounded. You can put me in any offensive system and I can execute it. "

According to Synergy data, the Heat's offense averages 12.5 fewer pick-and-rolls per game than any other team in the league. Herro was selected to the All-Star for the first time last season while taking on more ball-handling duties than before. He is in the seventh week of his original eight-week recovery schedule after undergoing ankle surgery in September. According to Second How Herro will fit into a team that ranks fourth in the league in drives per game will be interesting to see given the ball-handling talent the Heat already have between Mitchell, Huskers, Adebayo, Powell and Wiggins. But Spoelstra doesn't think there will be any problems with Herro's integration. "It's an easy fix," Spoelstra said. And his skill level, I mean, come on. He is one of the most skilled players in the league. He will blend in and bring bonuses. We miss him very much. But he's not playing tonight, so we're not going to spend too much time discussing what contributions we'll be missing from him. But his offensive talent, playmaking ability, scoring ability, ability to play at a fast pace, all of these are a perfect fit. Just like we thought Norman (Powell) would fit in. "

It's still early in the season for the Heat, and teams tend to slow down as the season progresses. Whether the Heat can maintain this level of play will depend on how effective this style of play is, as well as the health of the players. But it's clear that the Heat are committed to the changes they have made for the long term.

"Yes, this is a new era of Miami Heat basketball," Adebayo said.