The lessons previously had been learned as an active participant in the playoffs, including the need to get LeBron James more comfortable in the post after the loss in the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, the quest to find a better way to combat the ball movement of the San Antonio Spurs in last season's NBA Finals.
This year, the lessons come merely as spectators for the Miami Heat, with some of the lesson plan set even before the start of this postseason.
But for as much as coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on the eve of the playoffs of getting his team to play at a faster pace next season, moments like the Golden State Warriors' fourth-quarter rally in Game 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans, the capacity of James Harden to get it and go for the Houston Rockets against the Dallas Mavericks, the ability of the Washington Wizards to push the tempo against the Toronto Raptors when needed merely serve as ongoing reinforcement.