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Monday night could be considered Revisionist History Night for the Miami Heat, but amid a solid start to the season, Erik Spoelstra’s team is not looking back.
When the Mavericks arrive at Kaseya Center for their lone visit of the season, it will be with rookie Cooper Flagg in Dallas colors.
Which on May 12 left the Heat feeling a bit blue, because on that night of the NBA draft lottery, the Heat could have planted their own Flagg.
How? Why?
— In making the playoffs by defeating the Atlanta Hawks in overtime in a winner-take-all game to conclude the Eastern Conference play-in round, the Heat gave up the No. 11 seed for the lottery, with playoff teams, regardless of record, automatically falling to draft slots beyond the 14 lottery selections.
— With the Heat moving on to a first-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers in what would become the most-lopsided playoff series loss in NBA history, the Mavericks moved into the No. 11 lottery seed, with a 1.8% chance of landing the top selection in the random-but-weighted drawing.
— From the same seed that the Heat would have received by failing to make the playoffs with last season’s 37-45 record, Dallas, which went 39-43 last season, then beat the lottery odds and wound up with the No. 1 overall selection, with Flagg, the forward out of Duke, the lottery’s ultimate prize.
— The Heat instead wound up with the No. 15 selection, which then went to the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete a previous trade.
So no No. 1 pick in the draft for the Heat, a slot they still never have held in their 38 seasons — and no Flagg.
“It was kind of a crazy draft lottery,” Flagg said in the immediate wake of the drawing.
In that immediate wake of the lottery, Kevin Love, still with the Heat at the time, posted “I mean come on man” on social media.
Instead, without a player viewed as a foundational piece, the Heat, who completed a two-game trip with a Sunday matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, moved forward with an offseason Plan B that included trading Love and Kyle Anderson for Norman Powell and selecting Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20, with a pick acquired from the Golden State Warriors.
While Dallas has struggled in the injury absences of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, Flagg has shown plenty of the promised pedigree, albeit amid an uneven rookie ride.
Already this season, Flagg became one of only five Mavericks ever to record a double-double in their debut, became the youngest starter in NBA history to record a 20-point game without a turnover, and joined LeBron James as the only 18-year-olds to record a 25-5-5 game, while passing Kobe Bryant already for most 20-point games by an 18-year-old.
Of Flagg, who turns 19 on Dec. 21, Mavericks icon and current Prime studio analyst Dirk Nowitzki said, “The hype is real, for sure. The sky’s the limit, honestly. Just the way he reads the game already at that age.”
Flagg is coming off a 29-point performance Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans, before his 4-of-15, 12-point struggle Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, a game that nonetheless included a key late tying basket.
“He’s not afraid,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We get him the ball and he seems like he’s been there before, being able to score when you need a bucket.”
Heat two-way player Vlad Goldin, the undrafted 7-footer who previously played at Florida Atlantic University, recorded his first professional double-double Saturday night during his stint in the G League.
Goldin closed with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Sioux Falls Skyforce’s 101-98 victory over the Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. Goldin has yet to see action with the Heat.
In that Skyforce victory, Heat first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis finished with 15 points, four rebounds, six assists and three turnovers.
The game also featured an appearance by former Heat guard Victor Oladipo with the Herd. Oladipo, amid his comeback attempt, closed with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Registration is open for the second-annual Coach Spo’s 5K, a 5K benefiting Nicklaus Children’s & the Miami Heat Charitable Fund.
The event is 7:30 a.m. Dec. 7, with current pricing at $45 for the 5K event and $10 for the Kids Dash.
Per the event, “This unique 5K Run/Walk event welcomes everyone — from avid athletes to casual runners and loyal Heat fans. Let’s come together once again to promote health, teamwork and community spirit.”
The event kicks off and wraps up at Nicklaus Children’s, located at 3100 SW 62nd Avenue in Miami.
Details, including how to volunteer, can be found at https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Miami/CoachSpo5K.
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