The Heat’s role players — particularly the undrafted core four — have ultimately been the X-factor for a Miami squad that suddenly has title aspirations.
The Miami Heat are officially one win away from the NBA Finals.
The eighth-seeded Heat dismantled the second-seeded Boston Celtics, 109-83, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a game that was largely over by halftime, with Miami holding a 15-point lead before stretching it out to a 30-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
And while Jimmy Butler has certainly been the biggest reason for the Heat’s cinderella run, it’s the role players — particularly the undrafted core four — that have ultimately been the X-factor for a Miami squad that suddenly has title aspirations.
Those former undrafted free agents are none other than Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson. In the perfect game that epitomizes “Heat Culture,” Vincent, Martin and Robinson all scored at least 18-plus points to pace Miami, all more than Butler.
Vincent — not Butler — was the player of the game, scoring a career-high 29 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Robinson chimed in with 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range while Martin contributed 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting from distance.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke of Vincent’s importance following the game.
“We need his assertiveness. We need his aggressiveness,” Spoelstra said. “We need his putting his eyes on the rim and making the right play and everybody wants him to do that.
