Miami Heat: 3 takeaways from Game 4 vs. 76ers
By Ivan Mora
2. Fourth quarter woes continue for Miami
The Heat a great defensive-minded team. When they slow down the pace and play their game, they are deadly. Yet their biggest downfall they haven’t managed to fix continues to be their fourth quarter mishaps.
It’s like they take their foot off the pedal and can’t overcome that sluggish quarter. It happened in Game 1 when Philadelphia outscored Miami 40-19 in the fourth. It continued in Game 3 with a 32-14 run.
In fact, the only game Miami produced an efficient fourth quarter was in Game 2, when it finished with 27 points and even then that was still one point shy of Philadelphia’s 28-point finish. Game 4 was just the latest showing that the Sixers dominate Miami in late-game situations, destroying Miami 27-19.
.@MiamiHEAT coach Erik Spoelstra talks about the game getting away in the 4th quarter and how close the game was.#HeatCulture #WhiteHot #PHIvsMIA pic.twitter.com/qmcm3Eqywo
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) April 21, 2018
Coach Erik Spoelstra reiterates that they know their game plan and can execute, but they just keep falling short of winning. They come close, but that is never enough.
They out-rebounded Miami 57-43 and that continued to create second-chance opportunities that flawed the Heat, especially late in the game. Philadelphia simply found the formula to overcome that 12-point deficit and come back on top.