The Miami Heat rode Goran Dragic’s hot shooting in Game 7 Sunday, eliminating the Charlotte Hornets from the NBA Playoffs, and advancing to the second round.
Dragic poured in a game-high 25 points, and Gerald Green chipped in with 16.
The 106-73 blowout wasn’t indicative of what a tough, emotional series this was, and the Heat know they’re fortunate to be moving on.
Per the AP:
They lost Chris Bosh at the All-Star break to a blood clot for a second consecutive year, forcing them to significantly change their style of play. They handled injuries, saw assistant coach Keith Smart deal with cancer treatment that took him away from the team and reshaped their roster in free-agent deals and trades.
In that moment, (Dwyane) Wade realized how it all made his team stronger. […] “I’m not a prophet or anything,” Wade said, “but I knew we were winning this game.”
“Just great competition,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, lauding the Hornets. “Our hats go off to them. They made us better. … I think our basketball team needed to go through that, to be pushed and find a different level which we showed in the last two games.” […] Luol Deng scored 15 points, Wade finished with 12, and Hassan Whiteside had a 10-point, 12-rebound, five-block clincher for the Heat, who have won their last four Game 7s.
