After defeating the Charlotte Hornets 106-73 in Game 7 Sunday afternoon, the Miami Heat will now advance to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Miami is slated to play the winner of tonight’s Pacers/Raptors game this Tuesday, 8:00 on TNT.
Led by Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside, the Heat put forth a start to finish effort and never looked back. Throughout the season, Miami was known for taking its foot off the gas pedal. Tonight, the Heat won all four quarters and went into the final quarter winning 83-53.
Last game, Kemba Walker outscored Goran Dragic 37-14. Tonight, Dragic responded by outscoring Walker 25-9.
Along with Dragic, Heat center Hassan Whiteside finished with a dominate performance of his own. Whiteside recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 4-8 shooting in just 27 minutes. Whiteside altered several Charlotte shot attempts as well, playing a key role in holding the Hornets’ field goal percentage to 32.1% on the night.
The combination of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside were simply lethal:
The Hornets weathered the storm early, cutting a Miami lead down to 4 at one point. Charlotte guard Courtney Lee started off well, shooting 4-4 from the field. Aside from Lee, the Hornets struggled shooting all game long. Kemba Walker finished 3-16, Kaminsky finished 3-15, and Al Jefferson finished 2-7. The other starter, Marvin Williams, produced just 5 points in 32 total minutes.
For the Heat, Hassan Whiteside’s defensive effort was fairly noticeable, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks noted:
The impact of Hassan Whiteside right now cannot be measured in 140 characters.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 1, 2016
While Al Jefferson abused Hassan Whiteside in the post several times this series, it was Whiteside who ultimately got the last laugh. Whiteside continued his stellar defensive effort, and continued blocking shots:
“Blocked by Whiteside!” pic.twitter.com/yFSVuwD5Ta
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 1, 2016
And blocking shots.
Welcome to @youngwhiteside‘s Game 7 #WhiteHot Block Party! pic.twitter.com/Ha2Bxz6xna
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 1, 2016
And finishing alley oop dunks.
What goes up… must come down. ????https://t.co/ELtRdVKT4a
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 1, 2016
In the end, the experienced Miami Heat team were too much to overcome for the young, promising Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets exceeded expectations this season, and pushed Miami to the brink of elimination this series. The core of Walker, Lin, Batum, Kaminsky, and others will likely be around for a long time.
For the Heat, they now set their sights on their second round matchup. With both Toronto and Indiana causing trouble for Miami this past season, they know it won’t be an easy series to win. With Tyler Johnson making his return today and Gerald Green providing 16 points off the bench (previously shot 3-19 this series), the Heat are certainly confident heading into Tuesday’s Game 1. Should the Raptors win tonight, Miami would travel to Air Canada Centre for Game 1. Should the Pacers win tonight, Miami would stay at American Airlines Arena and host Game 1.
Game 7 Star Player: Goran Dragic (25 points on 11-17 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists).
