Three observations from the Miami Heat’s Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but we’re going to look for positives that the Heat can carry into Saturday’s Game 3.

1. Tyler Herro’s spacing

Here’s an example of how Tyler Herro was used down the stretch of the Heat’s Game 1 loss to the Cavaliers.

Herro is stuck in the corner, trying to space the floor from the weakside to create more room for the primary action on the opposite side of the court.

Among Erik Spoelstra’s adjustments going into Game 2 was to utilize Herro’s spacing earlier in the shot clock. Often, this was by using Herro as a screener. But sometimes it was just Herro’s movement that forced Cleveland’s defense to react.

It was this adjustment and Herro’s movement that set up the biggest moment of the game. The Heat had cut the 19-point deficit to single digits late. They were down five with 39.4 seconds left. The Heat had won the jump ball at center court and Jarrett Allen had fallen down among the scrum. Davion Mitchell brought the ball up. Herro started on the left elbow and flashed toward the ball to draw help away from Nikola Jovic in the corner.

Mitchell drove and kicked it out to Jovic, who missed the wide-open 3 and a chance to cut it to one possession.

It was a tough miss for Jovic, who went 1 for 8 from deep in his first live minutes since injuring his hand in late February. But the process was good, and Herro deserves a lot of credit for recognizing how he can impact the game without the ball in his hands.

2. Davion Mitchell’s playmaking

Lost in the shuffle of Davion Mitchell’s journey through three teams in his first four seasons is that he was the No. 9 pick in the 2021 draft. This is not a typical undrafted find for the Heat. Mitchell is a top-10 pick with bundles of athleticism.

This is never more evident than when Mitchell is barrelling into defenses. He isn’t the best passer or table-setter, but he has a strong first step and a wide body that forces defenses to react. His aggressiveness helped carry the Heat during Herro’s rest period at the start of the fourth quarter. He scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, when he was a main character in Miami’s 25-8 run to cut the deficit to two points. He also had two assists.

Mitchell’s assist to Bam Adebayo’s dunk punctuated that run and highlighted what Mitchell has added to the closing lineup since coming over at the trade deadline.

Mitchell gets a brush screen from Herro and is isolated on Darius Garland on the right wing. He puts his head down and blows by Garland, forcing Jarrett Allen to step deeper into the paint. Adebayo sees Allen occupied and cuts along the baseline for the lob that set the Heat up to potentially tie the game on the next possession.

This isn’t possible without Mitchell’s ability to blow by his defender and make plays from the paint.

3. Nikola Jovic’s connecting

Among Spoelstra’s adjustments was finding a role for Nikola Jovic, who knocked off some cobwebs with garbage-time reps at the end of Game 1. Spoelstra said Jovic looked good in practice between Sunday and Wednesday and decided to reinsert him into the rotation.

Jovic’s size, skill, and quick decision-making made him a missing puzzle piece for Miami. He played the entire fourth quarter (over Andrew Wiggins) and his activity level helped jolt the game-changing run. Jovic has a knack for putting energy into the basketball. He pushes off rebounds, shoots when open, and doesn’t doddle in the endless flowchart of basketball decisions.

When Jovic runs the floor, things tend to happen. Watch as he creates a drive-and-kick opportunity for the Heat’s best shooter just by going fast.

Jovic has great feel for the game and endless confidence that helps connect Miami’s offense. His quick decision-making is key. A determines to shoot, dribble or pass in a split second and keeps things moving. It’s not a coincidence that he was tied for the team-high in secondary assists in Game 2.

One of them came off a late offensive rebound.

There’s beauty in the simplicity of Jovic’s game. He sees the smaller Max Strus in front of him, so when the shot goes up, he attacks the offensive glass. When he grabs the rebound, he passes it to the nearest teammate. That leads to a wide-open 3 for Mitchell.

Some players would have grabbed the rebound, then gotten trapped by two Cavs defenders in the corner. Instead, Jovic’s size and readiness result in a scoring opportunity.

But sometimes Jovic’s quick-twitch decision-making cascades into recklessness. His two turnovers in the final 2:45 cost the Heat late. On both occasions, he failed to see the roaming Cavs defender and threw an interception.

This is the learning curve for a young player. While those mistakes were loud, there was more good than bad.