Every morning I will take an in-depth look at a game that happened the previous night.  The game that I pick is the one that I think was the best and most interesting one of the night/weekend.

If you look at the numbers, it looks like the Suns had this one all wrapped up.  They shot better from the field, better from 3, and they attempted the same number of foul shots that the Heat did (this is key, some games the Heat get to the line a ridiculous amount).  The key of the game was the number of shots taken.  The Heat took 10 more shots than the Suns.  The reason?  Steals and Turnovers.

What the Heat Did Right?

They got steals

The Heat were able to get 10 steals against the Suns Friday night.  These steals were key, not only because they prevented the Suns from getting an attempt at the basket (remember the Suns were shooting well this game), but because it lead to fast break opportunities for the Heat.  In this video, here are two steals that directly lead to points for the Heat (you could consider this 4 to 5 point swings because the Suns don’t get a shot – where if they would make it they could score 2 or 3 points -  and the Heat score):

They scored in the paint

The Heat also outscored the Suns in the paint (36-30).  A lot of it was the ball movement opening up things inside:

Beasley is going to set a screen for Rafer Alston.  Instead of straight rolling, Beasley is going to half-pop towards the sideline.

Rafer Alston does a very smart thing here.  He gets the ball out of his hands quickly, before Channing Frye can get back after hedging.

Beasley makes the catch as Frye is still trying to recover on Beasley.  Now here is where the Suns broke down on defense.  There are 3 Suns there who can rotate over on Beasley.  All of them are flat-footed though, so none of them can get over in time.

Stoudemire gets there, but is late, and Beasley finishes with the lay-up.

What The Suns Did Wrong?

They were too careless with the ball

Along with the 10 steals the Heat had, the Suns turned it over 7 more times.  In all, the 17 turnovers lead to 23 points for the Heat.  Also, these turnovers limited the opportunities the Suns had at the basket, which is the reason for the 10 fewer shots they had (and it probably cost them the game):

A lot of turnovers that don’t come from steals are from offensive fouls.  Some calls are iffy, but this one was obvious, and just a lack of focus from Channing Frye.  Here, he is setting a screen for Barbosa.

Frye initiates the screen, and Beasley comes out to meet Barbosa.

Beasley shows and then repositions himself behind the screen.  Frye stays initiated with the screen, it is actually a good screen until…

…Frye decides to swing an elbow into Mario Chalmers.  The thing that must bother the Suns’ coaching staff is that it was a very good screen and Barbosa is on his way to the basket.  This was a good chance at points, and it vanished.  The kicker?  The Heat drilled a 3 the next possession.