Miami Heat: How The Heat Forced Game 7

On the brink of elimination, the Miami Heat forced a Game 7 in their second round series against to the Toronto Raptors, thanks to a unique team performance.

Throughout their postseason run this year, the Miami Heat have had a flair for the dramatic.

For the second straight playoff series, the Heat had their backs against the wall as they were down 3-2 before Game 6 Friday night in their second round series against the Toronto Raptors.

This time around though, the Heat’s chances of advancing the series to another Game 7 looked more in question than it did in their first round series against the Charlotte Hornets.

Due to the combination of injuries to key starters and inconsistent production outside of Dwyane Wade, it was vital that the Heat conjure up some creativity as well as fire on all cylinders to make a Game 7 a reality.

That’s exactly what the Heat in Game 6 as they topped the Raptors 103-91 Friday night to force a Game 7 in Toronto.

The Heat’s game plan from the opening tip was unconventional by necessity, as Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra inserted Justise Winslow into the team’s usual starting five to be the starting “big.”

More from Hoops Habit

As crazy as that sounds, that lineup consiting of Goran Dragic/Wade/Joe Johnson/Luol Deng/Winslow saw great success as it scored a net rating of 99.6 points per 100 possessions in the 10 minutes it was used earlier in the series against the Raptors (per NBA.com/stats).

For as clear as the drawbacks the lineup would theoretically give up against the Raptors’ traditional starting five, the versatility, especially defensively, of that group gave the Raptors problems all throughout the game.

However, the biggest takeaway from the Heat’s performance in Game 6 was the return of their offense, led by Dragic.

Scoring 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting, Dragic’s offensive showing was nothing short of spectacular as he regularly probed the paint and finished around the rim all throughout the game (Dragic was 8-of-14 on baskets around the rim).

Dragic’s impressive play helped ease the load on offense for Wade in particular, who still finished with 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting, thanks to some clutch baskets during the fourth quarter.

That isn’t to say Wade’s night wasn’t great because he arguably did his biggest damage on the defensive end as he came up with three huge blocks (including a huge swat on Bismack Biyombo) and two steals by the end of the night.