The Miami Heat are finally clicking and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
A winning streak — something Miami Heat fans had long missed and thought wouldn’t come this year. The most they enjoyed this season was a two-game win streak and while a three-game win streak isn’t much of a difference, there is a lot of optimism from their play these last couple of games. In particular, their shot selection and 3-point shooting is encouraging. Is this the turnaround Miami desperately needed?
You can bet your sweet money it is, and what’s more exciting is the possibility that this beautiful win streak will continue if this chemistry continues to outshine the rest.
A major reason for this turnaround has been the demolition of their third quarter woes. They’re gone for the time being and the Heat are now playing with a sense of urgency heading into the fourth. It’s something they could never fix and always had to play from behind to catchup.
With the exception of this last game against Chicago (they tied 19-19 in the third), Miami has outscored two of their last three opponents, including the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics. They finished that third quarter with a 25-22 advantage. Oh, and they also broke Boston’s 16-game win streak. The cherry on top of the icing.
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In their rematch against the Minnesota Timberwolves, they also never let up as they finished the third quarter up 23-22. In fact, that game featured complete dominance from the first quarter on. They never lost a quarter from start to finish. It was the first time all season Miami led every quarter and never trailed by more than five points.
It was also the first time Miami accomplished a new feat in an unlikely category that no one saw coming from this team: the most attempted corner 3s in the NBA in the last two years, with a whopping 21. They finished the night 19-of-31 from behind the arc. Again, it’s a turnaround that benefited Miami’s offense and shooters.
The Heat are averaging the most corner 3s in the NBA this year with an unexpected 10.1 per game.
The surprising emergence of the man with the golden arm has also sparked this offense. Wayne Ellington should be a name on everyone’s radar after a bombshell of a week.
He has scored 21 points in three of the last four games, combined with a career-high 44.4 percent 3-point percentage for the season. He is on a hot firing streak with no signs of slowing down. Averaging 17.0 points per game in these last three games, he is shooting 55.5 percent as well. He is firing on all cylinders and has been a major attribute to this new-look Heat offense.
The Heat’s true test will start this week as they open it up with two hard matchups against the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the new Carmelo Anthony-less New York Knicks led by Kristaps Porzingis. Some think this win streak is a fluke, but true fans are now seeing the turnaround coming in exactly as planned.
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Let’s just hope this hot streak doesn’t die soon.