Miami Heat: Philly Cheese, Josh Richardson, clean up Cavs, 111-92

It was Miami Heat basketball all night long as they got back to their form in a dominant 117-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since the Miami Heat’s blowout, 111-84 loss to the Utah Jazz back in December, the team has turned over a new leaf, ringing in the new year with a statement win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After that loss and tonight’s win, the Heat are now 7-2 in their last nine games and have a favorable schedule ahead of them.

Tonight, Josh Richardson was their floor general and perfected his perimeter fadeaway in a couple of shining moments. He was zoned in as he finished the night with 24 points, leading the Heat and five assists on a 9-of-16 shooting spree.

He wasn’t too bad from behind the arc either, balancing his performance with a modest 4-of-7 from the three.

Cleveland took a fast start in the first quarter, manhandling a sluggish Hassan Whiteside down below. That, however, quickly changed as Miami erupted in the second with their traditional run-and-gun transition game.

The Heat’s ball movement created a 36-point second quarter, including 72 percent shooting from the field that stands as a ridiculous and rare percentage from this Heat squad.

That just goes to show you that maybe head coach Erik Spoelstra has finally figured out his rotation nightmares. They were consistent even before the half, shooting 75 percent on 3-point field goals.

However, the story of the night highlighted Heat favorite Dion Waiters, who returned from an ankle injury that required surgery and sidelined him for over a year.

His last Heat game played was December 2017. He entered the game in the second period and made a quick mark, letting his faithful fans know Philly Cheese was back.

https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1080629577511260161

He finished the night with seven points in 10 minutes, including a quick 3 to gain his rhythm back.

His confidence? Like it had never left his game.

With Spoelstra finally finding the right rotation with Justise Winslow earning the starting point guard position while Goran Dragic is out, he will have a tough time finding minutes for Dion.

But not to worry. As long as the Heat climb back above .500, Waiters will find his good share of clutch moments to shine.

Tyler Johnson also added 16 points for the night and Derrick Jones Jr. hustled his way to 13 points in 31 minutes. The collective group outmatched the Cavs with a 35-point third quarter before finishing the fourth with 24 points.

The win was a great way to bounce back from their end of the year loss to the Timberwolves, as Miami looks to gain momentum in an Eastern Conference that is shaking up rankings left and right. With this win, the Heat climb above the Hornets to take the sixth spot. They are now only three games behind fifth seed Boston Celtics.

With their next four out of five games in the American Airlines Arena, the Heat have a legitimate chance to crack the top-five in the East. Here’s to a little Philly Cheese adding fire to that possible leap.

The Miami Heat take on the Washington Wizards this Friday at home.