Inside the Miami Heat’s final possession against the Utah Jazz

The Miami Heat took advantage of the Utah Jazz’s intense focus on Wayne Ellington, to complete the comeback for their fourth straight win.

The Miami Heat haven’t played many final possession games this season, despite playing their 23^rd so-called clutch game of the year on Sunday afternoon, going 103-102 against the Utah Jazz.

So although currently the Heat hold a 16-7 record in those games, second in the league, we have yet to see what head coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat can do when faced with a must-score possession like they did Sunday, trailing by one with seven seconds remaining.

The result was perfect, as Goran Dragic hit a streaking Josh Richardson, who flew by Jazz center Derrick Favors for a layup. Giving the Heat a lead they would not relinquish, after stopping the sensational Donovan Mitchell on the subsequent possession.

The set drawn up by Spoelstra is further proof why he is one of the very best tacticians in the league, as he deployed a lethal combination of the Heat’s core offensive principles, to put Richardson in the very best situation to score.

Let’s start with a spoiler since we already know the result of the play. The Heat’s overall goal with this set was to put their best playmaker in space against a big man, like they had the previous possessions to get the team back into the game. Dragic drove at Favors relentlessly to mixed results, but was still able to get the edge and a solid attempt at the rim.

The Heat applied this logic to the final possession, looking to once again attack the Jazz center, but first they had to make sure Favors was left alone on an island.

The first move here is maybe the wisest, as Spoelstra uses Heat sharpshooter Wayne Ellington as a decoy. The Jazz did an admirable job focusing on Ellington throughout the game, running at him at every opportunity and crowding him on dribble handoffs; the Heat’s most efficient play in their arsenal, and one that has freed Ellington time after time.

Ellington appears to be the focal point of this setup, at first setting a screen for Richardson and then sprinting to the corner. Take a look at how the Jazz react when they realize Ellington has separation from Joe Ingles. Not only does Thabo Sefolosha dive towards the corner to block a potential pass, but Donovan Mitchell takes a step towards Ellington as well allowing Richardson to get separation.

Dragic doesn’t need to deliver a strong ball fake to Ellington, as the mere threat of him getting free forced the Jazz’s defense to react violently, leaving the Heat with a plus advantage in what is now the main action of the set.

Once Richardson has separation on Mitchell, his job gets a lot easier as Kelly Olynyk is able to legally square up the rookie to force the switch. A bad screen here prevents the switch, as Mitchell is probably able to use his speed to get back into position. But Olynyk takes Mitchell out of the play entirely with a crushing screen, leaving just Favors.

Here’s what Richardson has when he catches the ball. Pay attention to the quality of the spacing on the catch, with two defenders tied to the corners and Sefolosha effectively out of position as well. This basket was scored well before Richardson ever caught the ball. This is perfect execution from the Heat.

Favors makes the mistake of taking a hard step towards Richardson, leaving him off balance and opening up the drive. Ingles can’t get over to help in time and neither can Rodney Hood, who is tied to Tyler Johnson in the opposite corner.

Late game offense in the NBA, particularly a one-possession situation, typically devolves into hero ball. But the Heat are sticking to their offense and it’s paying off. They were able to execute together, and accomplish the goal of putting Favors into a situation where he was matched up with someone smaller and faster than him, with plenty of space to operate.

Next: Wayne Ellington has become the Miami Heat's secret weapon

While much of last season was spent marveling at the improbably shot-making ability of Dion Waiters, this is more reminiscent of the type of basketball Spoelstra wants to play, as the Heat move towards securing a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.