JJ shares his thoughts on the Jokić altercation

Welcome to another issue of A Farewell to Takes, our quick trip around the NBA. A heads up: The OM3 crew is taking over this issue of the newsletter! In case you missed it, JJ and Tommy were joined by Tim Legler on The Old Man and the Three last week. They talked Playoffs, lots of X's and O's adjustments, and legacies. The conversation was geared toward Game 3's and 4's of this weekend, but still highly recommend you take a listen if you haven't already. Plus, this week's episode of The Old Man and the Three Things just dropped. And yes, JJ talks about Jokić's moment with Mat Ishbia.

In this week’s A Farewell to Takes we are giving you:

• JJ's thoughts on the Nikola Jokić-Mat Ishiba altercation

• Tommy on the Heat depth

• The Best Thing Tommy Ate This Week

JJ will be back next week (with stats and wine). Thanks for reading! —The OM3 Crew

On today's episode of The Old Man and Three Things, JJ weighs in on the altercation between Nikola Jokić and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Denver Nuggets star that took place in Game 4 of Suns vs. Nugget series. Listen to the full episode here.

On the Heat bench

There have been almost too many subplots to count on this fascinating (and dare I say, approaching magical) Heat playoff run so far. Jimmy Butler going MJ, Kevin Love's outlet pass phenomenon returning, their putrid 3-point shooting somehow improving after the loss of Tyler Herro, etc.

74. This number struck me after their Game 2 loss in New York that was indicative on this Heat team at large, and really the whole ethos of "Heat Culture" in general. The Heat had 74 points by undrafted players, the most by any team in the playoff era since 1966. Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin looked like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, even in a loss.

As we head into Game 4 tonight, where they have a chance to put a stranglehold on this series, this depth has been the absolute difference maker in the series. The Heat bench as 279 points in the playoffs so far, leading all active playoff teams. They are currently outscoring the Knicks bench 84-52, a major issue for any team, but especially a Knicks team with 6th man of the year runner up Immanuel Quickley on it. (With Quickley unlikely to play in Game 4, I wouldn't count on this improving.)

The Heat bench is a fascinating mix. The combo of the undrafted players above and former Team USA stars, like Kyle Lowry, is basically throwing different looks at the Knicks, forcing them to adjust on the fly. Lowry has thrown up 18 assists with only 3 turnovers in the series so far, with his shooting numbers far above where he's been the last two regular seasons.

The Heat were plus 11 on Saturday with Jimmy Butler off the floor, a disturbing number for New York fans when you consider his dominance. Cody Zeller led the team in rebounding, Martin was plus 12 in the first half allowing the Heat to establish their big lead, Duncan Robinson tied the Knicks bench by himself in scoring in the first half.

The Heat depth has been a gift and a curse all season. There's no better team in the league at finding diamonds in the rough, but their rotations had been spotty and unpredictable which led to inconsistency across the board, especially with their three point shooters. With the whole group starting to fire on all cylinders at the right time, this bench feels like a potential difference maker both in this series and potentially looking forward to a Boston/Philly matchup. —Tommy

Last week we welcomed Tim Legler to the studio to talk all things Playoffs. As always, Legs was a great guest, and the conversation was filled with some highhh-level hoops talk.

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Best Thing Tommy Ate This Week: Cavatelli with Jamaican Beef Ragu at Torrisi

Torrisi, the brain child of Rich Torrisi, of Major Food Group fame (Carbone, Sadelle's etc.) is one of the best new restaurants in the city. All of the pastas, the Sea Bass, the Chicken alla Griglia ... you simply can't go wrong with any of the menu items.

I went this week with friends of the show Mikal Bridges and Trey Murphy, neither of whom have had the Torrisi experience before. We all agreed that the real showstopper was the Cavatelli with Jamaican Beef Ragu. The pasta, which was made in-house, had the perfect texture, and the ragu had the perfect Jamaican/Italian hybrid vibe with a bit of a kick.

Torrisi | 275 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012

And by the way ... we're having a sale over at our merch shop: buy one, get 30% off your second item. Get yourself something nice.

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