4 notes from the Miami Heat’s Game 2 win vs the Hornets

The Miami Heat withstand a late rally by the Charlotte Hornets to go up 2-0 in the series.

After running the Charlotte Hornets out of the building in Game 1, the Miami Heat took care of business again to take a 2-0 lead in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Heat took a 92-78 lead into the fourth quarter and looked like they would blow out the Hornets yet again, however Charlotte fought back, eventually bringing the game to within seven points with 3:06 left in the game.

With the Hornets still in it, Dwyane Wade stole the ball and made a layup in transition to extend Miami’s lead. On the very next play, with 1:28 left, Luol Deng stole the ball and did the same. That was the dagger.

Here are a few notes from game:

1. Steve Clifford’s adjustment

In Game 1, the Heat vaporized Charlotte’s defense with a simple pick-and-roll game. The Hornets showed against the ball handler (meaning they would play up on the ball handler before darting back to the roll man aka Whiteside/Stoudemire) but that just left open running lanes for Miami’s centers.

Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford adjusted this strategy, having his bigs hand back to impede Whiteside and Stoudemire’s access to the rim. It… didn’t really work. Whiteside scored 17 points, making all eight of his shots.

That also left more room for Miami’s guards to shoot and they took advantage. Dwyane Wade scored 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting and Goran Dragic went 6-of-12 for 18 points. It’s the exact counter punch that the Heat needed. Which leads us to…

2. Erik Spoelstra da real MVP

Spoelstra has perhaps done the best coaching job in the first round of the playoffs. That was on display late in the fourth quarter.

The Hornets got the game within single digits and the once unstoppable Heat couldn’t score on offense. Charlotte was walling off the paint and Miami’s guards weren’t making shots. Spoelstra brought Luol Deng back into the game and immediately called a side screen and roll between him and Wade. With two perimeter players involved, it gave the offense extra room and lead to a score to wet the drought.

3. Hot vs Cold

The Hornets made just one of 16 3-pointers. Don’t expect them to repeat that performance, but Miami did make it difficult for them tonight.

On the other hand, don’t expect Miami to shoot 56.2 percent again from 3-point range.

What that says more than anything is that the Heat keep finding different sources of offense. In Game 1, it was 31 points from Deng and a steady diet of Whiteside rim rolls. In Game 2, it was good guard play and jump shooting. Miami is versatile enough to take advantage of who is hot.

As long as someone is hot.

4. Closer than it looked

Even though the Heat enjoyed a comfortable lead most of the second half, the game was closer than it looked at times. Take the scoring by quarters: 29-29, 43-31, 19-18, 24-25. The second quarter stands out, with Miami gaining a big lead going into halftime.

If it wasn’t for a bad second quarter, this game could have gone either way. The Hornets are starting to get their footing, and I expect a tough Game 3 when the series moves to Charlotte on Saturday.