Miami Heat Searching For Answers On Defensive End

After the zone temporarily cured their issues, the Heat continue to struggle on defense

Forward Jimmy Butler thinks he knows why the Miami Heat hardly resemble the defensive teams of past. 

He feels the Heat have forgotten the importance of defense because of offense. 

"I think it's just because we think we can score with the best of them," Butler said. "... That's just part of having a lot of really good players on your team and guys knowing they can impact the game on the offensive side of the ball. I just think we need to get back to not worrying about offense and taking care of the defensive end." 

The Heat are ranked No. 12 in defensive rating at 111.7 this season. Last year they were third (108.4). On Saturday, they made a young San Antonio Spurs team look like the Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker teams from the 2010s. 

The main reason for the issues is a lack of communication. The Heat allow the opponents to shoot 47 from the field, which ranks 20th. On Saturday, the Spurs shot 53 percent. 

"The biggest thing for us on the defensive end we lose our communication at times," Heat center Bam Adebayo said. "That's when it hurts us. That's when they get back cuts. We get mismatched on a switch and they get a layup." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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