MIAMI -- Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hinted that a lineup change might be possible in advance of Game 6, but wasn’t going to reveal it until absolutely necessary.
“I’ll turn in my card at 45 minutes,” he said.
There was no lineup change to be found when the time came, however, as three-point specialist Mike Miller will once again start, just as he has in each of the past two games.
In Game 4, Miller helped space the floor for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to both have huge games, particularly inside. In Game 5, the Spurs packed the paint, but the Heat were unable to kick it out to get many open looks for their shooters.
Miller hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity to do what he’s supposed to offensively, and shot the ball just once in both of his last two starts, even though he was on the floor for more than 21 minutes in each.
LeBron would like to see that change in Game 6.
“We would like to,” James said in the Heat locker room about an hour before tip-off. “We would like to for sure. In his two starts he’s averaged one shot per game. That’s not enough for a shooter, it’s not enough for him, it’s not enough for any on of us. We have to do a better job of getting him some looks, find a way to get him into the offense.”
Spoelstra, meanwhile, downplayed the contribution of any individual player.
“It’s more how than who, and that’s been our focus yesterday and today,” Spoelstra said. “How we want to play, what we want to bring to tonight in front of our fans. The who is secondary to that.”
James was a nice combination of upbeat and focused before Game 6, while being well aware of what was at stake at the same time.
“It’s literally win or go home for us, or stay home because we’re here,” James said. “We look forward to the challenge. It’s going to be fun.”