Winderman’s view: No matter the remix, Celtics still have the Heat’s number

MIAMI — Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 103-85 loss to the Boston Celtics:

– Hope ruled the morning.

– “Stuff happened and it feels like a new team,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said after shootaround.

– Reality ruled the evening.

– For all the volume the Heat secured at last week’s NBA trading deadline for Jimmy Butler, they did not secure a star.

– That’s not who Andrew Wiggins is.

– Nor Davion Mitchell.

– Or Kyle Anderson.

– Each a supporting player.

– And with Tyler Herro out with a stomach illness, not much support on this night.

– With all due respect to Adebayo.

– And that’s the difference about where the Celtics are.

– And where the Heat aren’t.

– The Celtics without Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday?

– No problem.

– With Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis there to step up.

– The Heat without Herro?

– No chance, just a bunch of role players with no star to orbit.

– It is why the Celtics are who they are.

– And why the Heat are who they are.

– Which, at the moment, is a team with a losing record.

– With Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. not available due to stomach illnesses and with the newcomers from the Butler trade available for the first time, Heat opened with Kel’el Ware, Adebayo, Wiggins, Alec Burks and Mitchell.

– So a pair of newcomers directly into the first unit.

– And Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith out.

– The Heat’s 12th lineup of the season.

– Nikola Jovic was first off the Heat bench.

– Followed by Robinson.

– And then, Terry Rozier and Kyle Aderson together for nine deep..

– Eventually, Pelle Larsson entered late in the third quarter in a bid to try to provide a spark.

– Of being without Herro and Jaquez, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said pregame, “It changes with those two being out.”

– He added, “This is the NBA, so you get used to it. But it’s good to have the new guys.”

– Resigned to the moment, he added, “This is who we have, so we’re going with this.”

– Going in, Anderson preached patience for the newcomers.

– “We’re not going to get it right the first game, the first five games, maybe the first 10 games,” he said.

–  For his part, Spoelstra downplayed the shuffle, “Well, we have the majority of our core, so our style of play and our identity for the majority of the guys in the locker room, that’s understood and we’ll try to fast track these guys as much as possible, probably lean more toward simplicity and clarity, rather than trying to confuse them and add so much.”

– With the Heat moving back to the NBA maximum of 15 under standard contract, Butler’s locker was subdivided, with Anderson getting Butler’s space and Mitchell what had been the spare stall next to Butler.

– Wiggins took the locker space previously held by Josh Richardson, who was dealt to the Jazz and subsequently waived by Utah, now a free agent.

– Adebayo now is the lone player in the locker room with a double-wide.

– Jovic extended his career-best streak to 17 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.