Written by Cody Williams at FanSide.com
Back on their homecourt for Game 7 with the first round series in the 2016 NBA Playoffs on the line, the Miami Heat came out of the gate in the first quarter looking like they did in the first two games of the series. They were on fire from virtually everywhere on the court against the Charlotte Hornets while Hassan Whiteside was dominating on the interior as both a shot blocker and rebounder. That only set the tone for the rest of the game.
Charlotte admittedly fought back hard in the second quarter and looked like they might make a run to pull things closer going into halftime. Some clutch plays right before the half by point guard Goran Dragic for the Heat, though, stifled that run and the home team was able to go into the locker room ahead by 12 points.
At the start of the second half, the Hornets must’ve been yearning to only be down by 12 points as Dragic and the Heat just went off. They locked down Charlotte on the defensive end of the floor, didn’t allow the Hornets to get what felt like a single rebound, and Dragic, Luol Deng, and virtually everyone on the Heat couldn’t miss on the offensive end. They outscored Charlotte by 18 points in the third quarter alone, putting Miami up by 30.
Obviously the Heat were able to just coast in the fourth quarter, putting in their bench unit to ride it out. Though this had been a great series from the start, it was the Heat that came to play at home in Game 7 and absolutely trounced the Hornets to move on to the second round.
Three Stars
Goran Dragic, Heat – 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, one block
Hassan Whiteside, Heat – 10 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, ONE ASSIST!
Luol Deng, Heat – 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists.
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