On day two of the Miami Heat’s training camp at FAU in Boca Raton, Florida, there was one word that head coach Erik Spoelstra emphasized and stood out from the rest.

“Intentional.”

A quick Google search will define that word as “done on purpose” and “deliberate.” Translating that to basketball, it’s safe to say that Miami wants to run as a well-oiled machine this upcoming season.

Spoelstra said to the media Wednesday that the goal to be “intentional” is what prompted Miami to reach the NBA Finals off of their legendary postseason run.

“I use this word a lot, but we are going to be a lot more intentional from day one. That's what we've been talking about and drilling about. We were so much more intentional after the All-Star break,” Spoelstra said. “It was costly to us before that, and then we've dealt with a lot of things like missed games, different lineups. Of course, that's going to affect your overall rhythm. The way we finished during the playoffs against the highest level of competition, against the best defenses that you'll face, we were much better and we'll try to build on that.” 

After finishing as the No. 1 seed in the 2021-22 season, Miami finished at eight the season after. As coach said, injuries were a huge factor and while that’s a typical occurrence for any team, significant players such as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, etc. missed significant time. 

Heat: Focusing on the details

Forward Caleb Martin was a crucial factor in the playoff run last season for Miami and said himself that being intentional is focusing on the details.

“Doing anything with intention is doing it with the details. That’s just the process of execution which is such a crucial part of the game,” Martin said. “Especially early on when you're trying to fix stuff and we got new faces, you have to have intentions and if not, it’ll be harder to figure things out.”

Going more deeper into the mind of Spoelstra in what he wants to see from the team, he said that it encompasses multiple aspects like playing style and shot-making.

“We want to have a specific style that we're trying to get to, which we know what that is. We want to get certain guys involved and get them to the strength zones,” Spoelstra said. “That's Jimmy [Butler], Bam [Adebayo]. Tyler [Herro] for sure. Our spacing, add discipline to every single possession. It’s a habit you have to build.”

The “Heat Culture” or the way Miami plays basketball has been a winning formula under Spoelstra and various players with the success the team has had. 

As other teams in the Eastern Conference are recently loading up like the Milwaukee Bucks with Damian Lillard or the Boston Celtics acquiring Jrue Holiday, Miami will have to replicate from past seasons. 

Star Jimmy Butler said to ClutchPoints that he feels no pressure and is confident about the team around him.

“No chip on my shoulder, I can’t speak for everybody else,” Butler said. “We’re a good basketball team. People gear up to beat us and that’s a sign of respect.”

The Heat will spend the rest of the week practicing at FAU before their first preseason game next Tuesday against the Charlotte Hornets.