What’s been the resilient Heat’s secret during run to Finals? The ‘I don’t give a damn factor’

The Miami Heat continues to make history during its historic playoff run.

Sunday night's 111-108 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena tied the best-of-7 championship series at 1-1 and put the Heat three wins from becoming the first No. 8 seed in league history to win the championship.

But the fact that the victory came after the Heat trailed by as many as 15 points in the game added another layer to Miami's historic run. Sunday marked the Heat's seventh double-digit comeback win of the playoffs, which is tied for the most such wins in a single postseason in the last 25 years with last season's Golden State Warriors and the 2011 and 2012 Heat.

That resilience has become one of the trademark qualities of this season's Heat team.

"It's just part of our DNA, for one," Heat guard Gabe Vincent said, with the Finals now moving to Miami for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on Friday. "You know, everyone on this team has battled through adversity in some manner and been knocked down and had to get back up.

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"And for No. 2, we have a lot of experience in these close games. So when it comes down to the wire, we are strangely comfortable."

The Heat trailed in Game 2 by as many as 15 points in the first half and entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points. But the Heat earned its first win in Denver since 2016 and handed the Nuggets their first home loss since March 30 by winning the fourth quarter 36-25 behind 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) shooting from the field, 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) shooting from three-point range and 9-of-10 (90 percent) shooting from the foul line.

Duncan Robinson scored a team-high 10 points for the Heat in Sunday's fourth quarter, while Bam Adebayo added seven points and Jimmy Butler contributed eight points in the period.

The result was a fourth-quarter offensive rating of 180 points scored per 100 possessions, which is the Heat's highest fourth-quarter offensive rating in any game since scoring 200 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 3, 2020, win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat has outscored teams by a league-best 19.3 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter during this year's playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers are a distant second place, as they outscored opponents by 8.7 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter this postseason before being eliminated by the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

Sunday marked the Heat's fourth win of the playoffs when trailing by eight or more points entering the fourth quarter, which is the most such victories in a single postseason in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Miami is 4-5 in these situations, while the rest of the league is 1-41 during this year's playoffs.

"During the fourth quarter, our guys love to compete," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after Game 2. "They love to put themselves out there in those moments of truth. Fortunately we were able to make a lot of big defensive plays down the stretch, and then we got a lot of contributions, which you’re going to need against a team like this."

The Heat already has a 15-point comeback win in Game 4 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, a 16-point comeback win in Game 5 of the first round against the Bucks, a 12-point comeback win in Game 1 of the second round against the New York Knicks, a 14-point comeback win in Game 6 of the second round against the Knicks, a 13-point comeback win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, a 12-point comeback win in Game 2 of the East finals against the Celtics and a 15-point comeback win on Sunday against the Nuggets.

"I just think nobody cares on our team," Butler said when asked why the Heat has been so resilient this postseason. "We’re not worried about what anybody thinks. We’re so focused in on what we do well and who we are as a group that at the end of the day, that's what we fall back on. Make or miss shots, we’re going to be who we are because we’re not worried about anybody else. That's how it's been all year long, and that's not going to change.

"So that's what I think it is. I think it's the I don't give a damn factor."

The Heat also continues to ignore the fact that it remains an underdog in the Finals even after stealing home-court advantage in the championship series.

"Biggest thing for us, we heard the noise throughout the whole playoffs," Adebayo said. "Biggest thing for us, we had the will and we had the belief, and we keep finding ways to win."

The Heat entered the first round against the Bucks as a heavy betting underdog and won, entered the second round against the Knicks as a slight underdog and won and entered the East finals against the Celtics as a big underdog and win.

The Heat also entered the NBA Finals against the Nuggets as a clear underdog and is still a betting underdog in the series even after Sunday's Game 2 victory.

"We faced a lot of adversity during the season," Spoelstra said of the Heat's tough persona. "We handled it the right way where you are not making excuses about it, the injuries, the changing lineups. Because of all that adversity and the 57 close games that happened, due to a lot of that, it hardened us. It steeled us and we developed some grit, which is what we all want.

"We want to be able to have that privilege of having adversity and being able to overcome it. You gain strength from that. But this is a very tough opponent. They have our full respect, for sure."

With each impressive playoff run, the Heat is also slowly earning the respect of others. The Heat's 13 playoff victories this season are already the most by a No. 8 seed in a single postseason in NBA history.

"[Expletive] ‘em," Heat captain Udonis Haslem said late Sunday night when asked about those still questioning the Heat's championship chances. "Can you quote that?"