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Imago

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Imago

The Miami Heat’s OT win over the Cleveland Cavaliers was four years in the making. Not a prophecy, but a vision. Their top assistant coach, Chris Quinn, had been waiting for this moment. The result was spectacular ball movement and deception in the crucial last seconds of overtime play. The Heat ended up winning 140-138 in the first of back-to-back matchups with Cleveland. Erik Spoelstra and the star of that play, Andrew Wiggins, were still feeling the adrenaline rush of the moment Quinn scripted.

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Donovan Mitchell added to the late drama by tying the score 138-138 with 0.4 seconds left in regulation time. He shot his three from 23 feet. The tug-of-war from the second half had gone into overtime, and this turned out to be a perfect setup for Miami to pull that card up its sleeve.

Erik Spoelstra threw his assistant coach, Chris Quinn, into the final timeout huddle to execute it. Norman Powell was the distraction, Davion Mitchell set a screen, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. was ready in the corner. Nikola Jovic inbounded the ball, Andrew Wiggins caught the alley-oop lob, flew through the air, and dunked! The game ended 140-138 in Miami’s favor.

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Coach Spo had a smirk throughout the post-game conference for good reason. “Look, I’ve had that play on my card listed as CQ for four years. So when it got to that point, Quinny said, ‘Hey, we should run that.’ And I said, ‘You know what? There’s no better person than to diagram it than the one who came up with the dang thing. So I just had him diagram the play. Then it just it worked beautifully.” 

Chris Quinn went from being Dwyane Wade‘s teammate and coaching under Pat Riley to becoming Erik Spoelstra’s assistant in 2014. He drew up the play, and Spo slapped his initials on it. Funnily enough, the performer of CQ’s script, Andrew Wiggins, only arrived in Miami via the Bay this year. We’d like to know whom he had in mind when he drew that up.

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Spo didn’t look like a guy who had just lost his house. He praised every player involved in that OT win that put Miami at 7-4. A tiny mistake anywhere would’ve resulted in a turnover. “So, it was great execution to get that. It was a classic game. It was a lot of fun to be a part of. It’s better when you get the win,” the HC concluded. It’s a different rush for coaches to pull up that play at the right moment. For the players, it’s a whole other thrill in the execution.

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The Elevator Door EOG artists of the Miami Heat’s triumph speak up

Andrew Wiggins was never the original point guy for this play. We could bet money that he probably never saw it or heard it before that last timeout. However, the forward still handled it perfectly, amid the timely support of his co-stars.

“The coaches, they drew up a great play, you know, a great play. And Nico gave me an amazing pass, a perfect pass,” Wiggins said. He also pointed out that Spida, the menace that he is, nearly ruined it. “D-Mitch got me open with a great, great screen. And I was there to finish the job. I’m happy that, you know, we could get this win. It was a hard-fought win. And, you know, hopefully we can do the same thing, you know, when we play him in a couple days.

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What Wiggs means is that on Wednesday, the Cavs and Heat will have a rematch. They’d probably be prepared for such a play again, unless Master Quinn’s got a few more variations of those in his notebook. Jaime Jaquez Jr. was ready to salvage it if anything went wrong. Although he didn’t have to, he loved that!

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“Man, shout out to Coach Quinny,” he said while sitting next to Norman Powell. “That was an incredible, incredible late-game call, play call from him. Executed extremely well. Great screen by Davion. Norm flying off, but a distraction. Nico with a great pass. Wigs with a great finish, and I was just chilling in the corner. So, I thought it was beautiful, man. It was beautiful.”

Beautiful indeed. We’d like the sequel on Wednesday, while seeing the Heat make it four straight wins and six consecutive home victories.

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