The Miami Heat they shone in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the nba finals to beat the Denver Nuggets and tie the series at one win apiece. However, the success of those led by Erik Spoelstra in the final minutes is not a coincidence, but a constant that they hope to replicate for the rest of the series.
The first quarter has the closest point differential for Miami since it is -1. The second and third sets are similar with -11 and -12, respectively, but has the third-best fourth-quarter point differential in playoff history with a +90.
Nine times during this postseason run, the Heat have entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight or more points in nine games and have managed to win four of them. The rest of the NBA is 1-41 in this scenario.
The case of Denver is opposite, since they have shown that they play their worst basketball in the last quarters. In Q1, the Nuggets devastate their rivals and have a positive difference of +57 that decreases as the quarters go by (Q2 of +35, Q3 of +28 and Q4 of +19).
Also, something that also increases in the late quarters of Denver’s playoff games is the number of turnovers. Michael Malone’s students have committed 194 turnovers in the postseason and 61 of them have been during Q4.
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Better differential in the last quarter, but without a championship
Unfortunately, the teams with the best fourth-quarter point differential in playoff history have failed to win.
The 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers they posted a +99 differential in the final period and it all worked out in the Eastern Conference by beating the Washington Wizards, the New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons. However, the San Antonio Spurs of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were too much for LeBron James in his first NBA Finals.
The second best differential was obtained by the Miami Heat of the Bubble with +94, whose core is the same that is facing Denver in these Finals. The Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics were no match in the East. But the Lakers managed to defeat them in the series for the Larry O’Brien trophy in six games.