Kelly: Rebranded Heat gives South Florida legit hope, despite flat start | Opinion

Theatrical reveals is what South Florida has perfected.

The big show. A massive party.

THE event.

Pair a winning culture of a respected NBA franchise with a top five talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo and blockbuster is supposed to happen, if the main characters stay healthy, everyone buys in, and the sports Gods are kind.

Read more Heat begins Giannis Antetokounmpo era with blowout home loss to Timberwolves. Takeaways

Antetokounmpo was drawn to the Heats’ winning culture for that exact reason, and now it’s team czar Pat Riley, and head coach Eric Spoelstra’s responsibility to build a title contender around him.

But Wednesday night was a reminder none of this happens overnight.

There were moments during the Heats’ season-opening 131-106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves where the product looked sloppy, and the effort was lackluster.

Shots seemed out of place (the Heat shot 24 percent from 3-point range).

The ball was stagnant, sparingly moving around before someone in a Heat jersey took a shot.

Nineteen Heat possessions ended with turnovers, and those turnovers turned into 31 points for the Timberwolves.

And the absence of the Heats’ typical high-effort defense was noticeable, especially against a team like Minnesota that sparingly moves the ball around before chucking it up from long distance.

“Our effort has to be way better and it starts with me,” Antetokounmpo said about the Heats’ defensive performance Wednesday night. “They scored 130 points in our house!”

Actually, it’s 131 to be exact, and that’s after clearing the bench in the game’s final four minutes.

“We didn’t look like us. Offensively walking the ball up, waiting for playcalls. Only playing one side of the ball,” Spoelstra said. “We outshot them tonight and still got beat by 30.”

Actually, it was 25. But who’s really counting?

We get the point. Minnesota gave Miami a humbling beat down in the unveiling of the Antetokounmpo era.

Bam Adebayo wasn’t aggressive enough on the offensive side of the ball, which has been a consistent storyline of his nine-year NBA career.

Klay Thompson, a veteran marksman who helped the Golden State Warriors win championships, was passive (3-of-6, with every shot being a 3-pointer) in his regular season debut with his new team.

Read more Woman arrested in South Mississippi threatened to ‘kill federal agents,’ ICE says

Nikola Jovic, who was on the court for 24 minutes, was a liability on both ends of the floor, and Tim Hardaway Jr.’s stroke was off (1-for-7 from 3-point range).

And that’s Antetokounmpo supporting cast.

“We got to trust one another,” said Antetokounmpo, who scored 35 points in his Heat debut. “We have to be better if we want to go where we want to go.”

While scoring came with ease, especially for Antetokounmpo, whose Greek Freak nickname was evident every time he out sprinted the opponent down court while handling the ball, Miami’s main problem was its lackluster defense.

But this wasn’t too surprising considering most major productions require story build up, character development, and before we’re eventually locked in.

Or not.

This season-opening blowout provided no indicators of what’s to come, especially if we explain the Heats’ lackluster effort in the second half on players getting adjusted to the talent around them, and the pace of play being demanded.

The Timberwolves produced a 49-33 record the past two regular seasons, and that was before adding LaMelo Ball in an offseason trade aimed at helping Minnesota make another NBA Finals run.

As easy as it was for Giannis to score, Anthony Edwards put up points (45 of them) with ease all game. And he talked with every shot made.

But superstars can do that, especially when the opposition has no way of clamping down on their output.

It takes an entire team to neutralize a player like Edwards, who finished the game making 9 of 17 3-pointers.

The Heat haven’t gotten there yet, but it’s clear what needs to be done for South Florida’s NBA franchise to deliver on the expectations that come with Antetokounmpo.

“This is game one. We don’t want to make this a habit,” said Adebayo, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. “You know how Spo is. We’re about to watch three hours of film. And probably all defense…..

Read more Warning of surge in rejected mail ballots, NC Gov. Stein urges in-person voting

“We do stuff a certain way here, and it’s expected.”