Miami Heat head into game 3 of NBA Finals with all the aces in hand – NBA Feature
The Miami Heat have made a habit out of digging themselves into difficult situations in this postseason and then coming up with inspired play to dig them out and move on.
Being in difficult situations where analysts write them off seems to inspire and motivate the team to play some of the best basketball seen in recent times. And in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Heat seem
to be doing just that.
The Miami Heat cruised past the New York Knicks to open their playoff campaign with a 4-1 victory. They faced their first test of the post season when they lost game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals against the Indiana Pacers
to go down 1-2. Bosh had been sidelined with a strained abdominal muscle in Game 1 of that very series and Wade was struggling to find his rhythm.
The Heat were criticised for their lack of depth and predictable game plan. Facing the most criticism they have received this whole season, the Heat bounced back to win game 4 in Indiana and went on to win games 5 and 6 to qualify
for the Eastern Conference Finals.
They then faced the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and after splitting the first four games, lost to the Celtics in game 5 at home. Going down 2-3 in the series and facing elimination in game 6, Miami dug deep
to pull off a victory in game 6 and bring the series back to Boston for game 7. They won game 7 and headed to the NBA Finals.
They lost game 1 of the NBA Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder after blowing away a large second quarter lead and fell 0-1. With the home court advantage in favour of Oklahoma City, Miami knew they needed to win one at the Chesapeake
Energy Arena and wanted to tie the series before moving back to South Florida. And they did just that with a 100-96 victory over the Thunder in game 2.
Now, the Heat have an opportunity of winning the series without having to go back to Oklahoma City, where the loudest crowd in the NBA anticipates their return. The Heat play 3 straight games at the American Airlines Arena and
if they win all three, they will be crowned NBA champions in front of their home crowd.
“Very excited. We get to play in front of our home crowd for the first time in the finals, and we will be ready,” said Heat guard Mario Chalmers.
In a season filled with challenges, Miami have done a great job to reach the NBA Finals. They have been in media attention throughout and received more criticism over any other team, be it on Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or LeBron James.
They now have an opportunity to silence their critics and answer their questions of whether they will be able to win a championship with a super star cast.
“Anytime you drop a game, especially now, it's not a good feeling, and it stays with you all the way up until you get another chance to redeem yourself. We're pretty familiar with that feeling,” said Miami forward Chris Bosh.
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