3 players the Miami Heat desperately need to bounce back to win Game 5
The mightiest Cinderella run in NBA history in the form of the Miami Heat in this year’s playoffs had the perfect chance to seize control of the series following a road upset in Game 2. However, two consecutive stale performances by the team at home now leaves them gasping for survival as they face a 3-1 trek facing elimination against the Denver Nuggets, starting Monday night in Game 5.
Whereas the Nuggets enjoyed solid, across-the-board production from their role players in Game 4 following a star-reliant attack in the preceding game, the Heat’s role players have continued to come down to earth. Hence, it’s not surprising that the squad now needs a lot to go right to wrap up a postseason run for the ages and clinch a historic title.
But to do that, the Heat desperately need these three players to break out in Game 5 to extend their season and bring the Finals back to Miami.
3 players the Miami Heat need to break out to extend their season in Game 5
1. Gabe Vincent
After averaging 21 points in Games 1 and 2 and serving as a pressure-breaker for the team on the offensive end, Vincent has gone ice cold from the field at home, logging just nine points in total in Games 3 and 4. Now, while pinning the bulk of the blame on his play going through a 180-degree turn is magnifying a blemish on his otherwise commendable playoff run, the Heat need everyone at the peak of their powers at this point — and this is more so the case with Vincent.
With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo soaking up virtually all of the offensive playmaking and scoring, the Nuggets have been more than comfortable playing with the percentages and limiting Miami’s supporting cast instead to negate any scoring outburst from the two. And with the Heat lacking a consistent tertiary option, Vincent’s struggles have basically been a death knell to the team’s erratic half-court attack.
If the Heat want to extend their season, Vincent has to reclaim his seeming mastery at Denver’s home turf to keep the Nuggets on their toes defensively and punish them for doubling down on Butler and Adebayo. The element of surprise and unpredictability on a nightly basis have been their lifeblood this postseason, and losing that will certainly give Miami a more daunting task ahead of them atop of an already tall challenge.