Very interesting trend to monitor:
Miami's defense has seen the 2nd highest rate of 3pt shooting attempts (46.1% of FGA) in the NBA.
https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/opponent-three-point-rateDespite the high rate of 3pt shooting, Miami's defense has the lowest opponent 3pt percentage in the NBA at 31.6%.
https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/opponent-three-point-pctJust seeing these 2 stats can cause alarm and make one wonder if Miami has gotten lucky with team's shooting poorly against them. Maybe that plays into it. But both from the eye test and the numbers it seems this is by design. Miami's defense wants to funnel teams into rushing contested 3pt looks and keep them out of the paint.
Watching the games it doesn't feel or look like Miami is giving up a ton of clean looks on the perimeter due to failed coverage and rotations. So, I checked some shot quality numbers to validate that observation. According to the Defensive Shot Quality Numbers, Miami's defense is giving up the 4th most difficult shot quality in the NBA (behind only Boston, OKC, and Houston).
https://shotquality.com/team-standingsAll of this reflects intent and execution over luck on defense.
