Instant Offensive Boost

The Heat were hit with a 7-0 run right out of the gate, while the Grizzlies, with Link back in the lineup, displayed their formidable strength.

Spoelstra knew that once the Grizzlies took the lead, the Heat would be forced onto the back foot. And sometimes, that passive situation could last until the final buzzer.

But the Heat had nowhere left to retreat now. They were already in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and no matter what, they had to withstand the pressure today.

So Spoelstra gritted his teeth and made a risky move. "Shut down the paint!"

In the previous two games, the Grizzlies had not shot particularly well from mid-range or beyond the arc.

More often than not, they had built their advantages through fierce battles at the rim.

Now Spoelstra had to take a gamble: other than Link, he would let the rest of the Grizzlies shoot from mid-range and long range.

As long as the Grizzlies were prevented from scoring from multiple spots, the Heat would still have a chance at survival.

Wade nodded. Nobody knew how the Grizzlies would shoot from mid-range and long range today, but they had no choice but to try.

The game resumed, and the Heat made no personnel changes.

On their first possession after the timeout, the Heat finally broke their scoreless deadlock.

Wade finally ended the drought with a successful layup, but every Heat player knew their troubles were far from over.

Whether their defense could work was the key to whether the Heat could win today.

Link was still being tightly hounded by Luol Deng, and as far as he was concerned, nothing had changed defensively.

But he noticed that the other Heat players seemed to be collapsing inward, deliberately or otherwise. Link instantly saw through