Stat of the game
There were 10 lead changes and nine ties in the matchup, but the exhausted Heat were able to prevail. In the previous game against Chicago, the Heat were simply out conditioned. They coudln’t seem to keep up with the Bulls offense, but Saturday was different.
Butler and the rest of the cast has an urgency to win the game and compete on every level. They were phenomenal on help defense and forced Chicago into attempts late in the shot clock. Miami was ready to run, having an outlet ball handler on each possession, especially om the Bulls’ three-point attempts.
The Heat have been prone to giving up the lead late in the game, whether they hold a slight advantage or they’re up by 20 points. Closing the game has been an issue for head coach Erik Spoelstra and Miami in the sense of holding their ground. They led for most of the contest against Chicago and stuck with their game plan later on in the match.