Winderman’s view: Bid for a 3-for-all comes up short for Heat in Game 2 vs. Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 121-112 NBA playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

– By the time Bam Adebayo launched his fifth 3-point attempt midway through the second period, it was clear the Heat would try to win this one over the top.

– But when it came to over-the-top 3-point shooting, there was no keeping up with the Cavaliers early on.

– Especially during the second-period barrage by Cleveland that afforded the Cavaliers needed breathing room.

– With an NBA-playoff record 11 3-plinters in that quarter.

– Eleven.

– As in 33 points alone from beyond the arc.

– It is one thing to have the desire to win it over the top.

– Adebayo had that, even as he fell to 1 of 5 from beyond the arc.

– All the while, old friend Max Strus was taking and making for the Cavaliers, opening 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.

– With his teammates following that lead.

– To his credit, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra recognized desperate times called for desperate measures.

– So he had his team hoist early and often.

– Even if Tyler Herro and Haywood Highsmith were the only ones making them, each with three in the first half (and the rest of the Heat roster with only three more).

– To the Heat’s credit, shoulders never fully slumped.

– Mount a comeback and making this feisty at the finish.

– Still, back to the drawing board.

– Not that there is much that can be drawn up against a team that finished 27 games ahead in the standings.

– And shoots for an extended stretch like Wednesday night’s second quarter.

– For the Heat, the changes began at the outset.

– Spoelstra adjusted his lineup, with Davion Mitchell starting in place of Alec Burks, in a Game 2 lineup rounded out by Adebayo, Herro, Kel’el Ware and Andrew Wiggins.

– Just 90 minutes before tipoff,Spoelstra downplayed the notion or need for major adjustments.

– “A lot of that is overrated,” he said. “But we’ll see. The bottom line is we need to be better than we were in Game 1.”

– Pelle Larsson and Haywood Highsmith entered together first off the Heat bench.

–  Duncan Robinson.

– And then even Nikola Jovic for the final nine minutes of the first half.

– Going in, Spoelstra said, “Look, you’re going to face good players. This isn’t supposed to be easy. So our task is to make it tough and we have to figure it out. You figure it out or you don’t.”

– Of Game 1, he said before Game 2, “We showed some grit and some toughness, but it’s going to require more than that.”

– Spoelstra further defined, “Some of it is adjustments, some of it we have to play harder and impose our will on the game. And then there’s the tactical or how you’re playing.”

– Wednesday was the Heat’s ninth consecutive day on the road, having to play through two rounds in the play-in.

– Asked if it felt like a regular-season extended trip, Spoelstra said, “No, this feels different. Much more intense. This is the way we like it.”

– Of the two-day break going in, Spoelstra said. “We tried to maximize it. Guys were able to get rest, treatment.”

– But he added, “When you have the extra day, there’s a little bit too much talking about it.”

– Another two-day series break now follows before Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at Kaseya Center.

– The focus going in from Spoelstra, as could be expected from the Heat coach, also was one of meeting force with force.

– “We know what it looks and feels like, and that’s what it’s got to be. It’s got to jump off the screen, everybody on the bench has to recognize it,” he said at the morning shootaround. “We have all these habits and understanding Cleveland is going to bring it, too. So that’s what competition is all about, you have to impose your will against a team that’s trying to do the same, who can grapple and force it more consistently, and play well.”

– Of going against the inside length of Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, Herro said it is about “just making the right decisions once we get into the paint.”

– He added, “We can get into the paint, it’s just about making the right decisions once we get in the paint.”

– Adebayo’s fifth defensive rebound was the 500th of his playoff career.

– With his first 3-pointer, Robinson extended his franchise all-time postseason lead. He entered with 145. Second on the list is LeBron James at 123.

– With his 62nd postseason game in double figures, Adebayo moved into sole possession of third place on that list, behind only Dwyane Wade (166) and LeBron James (85).

– The double-double was the 32nd of Adebayo’s postseason career, breaking the tie for the all-team lead with James.