The simplest approach to illustrate what the Miami Heat are accomplishing in terms of comebacks during these playoffs is to just compare their stats to the rest of the league.
This postseason, while facing a deficit of at least 12 points:
– The Heat lead the series 7-6. The remainder of the NBA is a combined 6-59. Combined.
“The most important thing for us was that we had the will and the belief,” Heat centre Bam Adebayo said. “And we just keep finding new ways to win.”
It makes no difference who the opponent is. Milwaukee, New York, Boston, and now Denver in the NBA Finals have all been on the receiving end of a Heat rally.
Miami rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat top-seeded Milwaukee in Game 4 and then from a 16-point deficit to win the clinching Game 5; from a 12-point deficit to defeat New York in Game 1 and from a 14-point deficit to defeat the Knicks in Game 6; and now, a 15-point comeback to defeat Denver in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
The rally on Sunday night was the fifth-largest in a finals game in the past 25 years. The Heat trailed the Nuggets 50-35 with 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter before outscoring them 76-58 to even the series. The series has now moved to Miami, where both teams will practise on Tuesday before Game 3 on Wednesday night.
This unlikely scenario — a team down in the waning minutes of an elimination game of the play-in round making it to the NBA Finals — now has an even more bizarre plot twist. The eighth-seeded Heat enjoy home-court advantage in the championship series against Denver, the Western Conference’s top seed.
“We’ve won on the road before,” said Nuggets veteran Jeff Green after Game 2 in Denver. “I believe we understand what is at stake.” They carried out their responsibilities. They came in and ordered a split. They’re leaving now, and I believe we should go in there scared about Game 3. We don’t need to be concerned about Game 4. We have to be concerned about Game 3.”
What Miami is doing is both unprecedented and entirely on brand for the Heat. In the previous 25 years, four teams have won seven playoff games after trailing by double digits in a game; Golden State accomplished it last year on their path to the NBA championship.
What about the other three teams on the list? Erik Spoelstra coached the 2011 Heat, the 2012 Heat, and now the 2023 Heat.
“We faced a lot of adversity during the season,” stated Spoelstra. “We handled it correctly….” It hardened us and gave us grit, which is what we all seek. We want to be able to have the privilege of facing difficulty and overcoming it. That gives you power.”
The result of all that hardship — such as 44 games decided by five points or less, with the Heat finishing 28-16 in them — is that they never believe they’re out of a game. Sure, it’s true that in the NBA, every team ultimately makes a run, but the Heat didn’t even hoist the surrender flag in Game 1 while down by 21 points in the fourth quarter. With 2:34 remaining, they had cut the margin to nine points.
And the comeback wasn’t in vain in Game 2.
Down eight points entering the fourth quarter, Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent — two undrafted guards forged via the Heat player development programme — scored the first 15 points of the fourth. They gave Miami the lead, which the Heat did not relinquish.
“We just needed to come out with a sense of urgency in that fourth,” Robinson said afterwards. “It was kind of a now or never situation.” We definitely started with defence and were able to accomplish some things from there.”
The Nuggets were 45-3 regular season in games when they led by at least 15 points, making the Game 2 comeback even more implausible — even for a club that makes rallies appear routine in the playoffs. And they were 38-0 when leading by more than ten points at home.
The Comeback Heat were unfazed. According to Heat forward Jimmy Butler, it’s the “I don’t give a damn factor” that comes in at certain times.
“I just don’t think anyone on our team cares.” “We don’t care what anyone thinks,” Butler added. “We’re so focused on what we do well and who we are as a group that that’s what we fall back on at the end of the day.” Make or miss shots, we’ll be ourselves since we don’t care about anybody else. That’s been the case all year, and it’s not going to change.”
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