Miami Heat: 3 Takeaways From Win Over Cleveland
By David Ramil
The Miami Heat had one of their best games of the season, a 106-92 beatdown over the Cleveland Cavaliers that wasn’t as close as the final score suggests. Miami played with a level of energy the Cavs simply couldn’t match and LeBron James padded his stats late it the game after struggling for most of the night.
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It was one of Miami’s finest all-around efforts this inconsistent season, with five players scoring in double digits and every Heat player committed to playing a harassing, attacking style of defense that hasn’t been seen very often.
In case you missed the game, here’s a quick recap: the Heat stormed out to an early lead, building a 10-point lead just minutes into the game. James never got into a rhythm until late (going 8-of-19 from the floor) and Kyrie Irving (5-of-15) followed suit. Kevin Love sat out the game due to “rest”. In fact, the score might have been more lopsided if not for Cleveland’s supporting cast, who managed to tie the game at 22 late in the first.
But Miami seemed unstoppable in the second quarter, building the lead back up to 18 before halftime. In the second half, the Heat pushed their lead even further until James started connecting from the perimeter, hitting three-straight 3-pointers to cut the lead to 13. It was too little, too late, and Miami would close out the game in impressive fashion.
What stood out during the game? Read on and find out.
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