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The Miami Heat have matched their franchise record for winning close games, after a 90-89 victory against the Toronto Raptors, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel .
Per Elias Sports Bureau: Miami has won its last five games all by seven or fewer points, matching longest such streak in franchise history. The Heat won five consecutive games, all by seven or fewer points, two other times in team history: April 2001 and February/March 2006.
This is a stellar accomplishment, considering that the Heat have moved on from their championship dynasty that included players such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
With an entire new roster, the Heat have transformed into a young team that is thirsty to get back to the NBA Finals. The Heat have always found ways to win games without their former superstars, and part of the reason is because of the genius of Erik Spoelstra, who recently passed Pat Riley's record for the most wins in franchise history against the Clippers.
According to ESPN, Spoelstra credited his accomplishment to his mentor, none other than Riley himself.
“I thought that it would be most fitting to go retro and have an old-school Miami Heat game in honor of coach Riley. This is the type of game he probably enjoys the most — you win shooting 37 percent. I think we scored too many points this game. But those are the old-school, tough, grind-it-out, find any way as a competitor to win the games. That's in honor of my mentor and my coach. He's still my coach.”
With tying the franchise record for close game victories, the Heat have proved that the best is yet to come for the franchise.
