Miami
- John Lucas was so elated that his chest bump with Chris Mihm knocked Lucas flat on his bottom.
It was the happiest fall the Cavaliers coach ever experienced.
Mihm has struggled for the past few games, but he snapped out of his funk with an outstanding offensive and defensive effort in overtime last night as the Cavs beat the Heat, 86-81, at AmericanAirlines Arena.
It was the first time the Cavs (11-15) have beaten the Heat three times during a season in 11 years. The Cavs also finished with a season-high 55 rebounds. The Heat lost for the 10th time in its last 11 home games.
Jumaine Jones continues to impress. He led the Cavs with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points in 23 minutes, and Wes Person scored 13 points, all in the first half.
It was Mihm's best shooting night in weeks. He was 6-of-11 from the field for 12 points. He also had six rebounds. Lucas was so impressed that Mihm was given the game ball.
Meanwhile, Lucas was given some advice.
"The guys told me that I need to start lifting weights," said Lucas after his chest bump sent him to the floor. "This was a big game for us. Mihm won this game for us tonight. He came up very, very big. He did well, but he can get even better."
Mihm was at his best in overtime. His early bucket snapped the tie for an 80-78 lead. Andre Miller, who was a season-low 1-for-13 from the field, canned two free throws for a four-point lead. Eddie Jones led the Heat (5-19) with 24 points. He drilled a 3-pointer with 1:03 left to close Miami's gap to one.
Mihm cooled the Heat's effort with a tip-in on Miller's missed shot for an 84-81 lead.
And just when it seemed Mihm couldn't do anything else, he came up huge on defense. Eddie Jones went in for a dunk and Mihm greeted his attempt with a clean block, giving the Cavs possession.
"When I got called on in overtime, I wanted to make sure I did my job defensively," Mihm said. "And if I got my chance offensively, I needed to score. I just tried to stay active. We had a lot of guys step up defensively. When we needed to make stops, we did."
Mihm needed to regroup after a recent string of dismal shooting and unnecessary fouls. He was due for a positive change.
"I haven't been at the top of my game for the past few weeks and it's been frustrating," Mihm said. "I've been playing hard, trying to get things to go right. Hopefully, this is a springboard and I can get back on track. But more importantly, we got the win."
The Cavs held a four-point lead during the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. What appeared to be the Cavs' control made a quick turn behind a Heat rally. Eddie Jones single-handedly brought the Heat back, scoring all but four of the team's points during a fourth-quarter spurt. His last two points, two free throws, tied the score at 72 with 2:26 left.
Jones' play inspired Miami, which continued to rally and led by four with 1:20 left. But the Cavs weren't finished.
Jumaine Jones splashed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to bring the Cavs within one. Alonzo Mourning answered with a hook for a three-point lead. And Miller, who at the time was 0-for-9 from the field, canned a 3-pointer to tie the score at 78.