Jarrett Jack was able to find Draymond Green cutting backdoor, and the point guard fired a pass into the rookie for a wide open layup which resulted in a 97-95 win for the Golden State Warriors over the Miami Heat.

Despite 31 points from LeBron James, the Warriors were able to come out on top. Let's examine why.

 

1. Three-point barrage by Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson scored 27 points in this one, hitting all five of his three-pointers in the first half. He was sensational and was a thorn in the Heat's side all night. It wasn't just threes, either. Thompson was getting to the basket and scoring in transition. He even pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Outstanding night for the sharpshooter.

 

2. Maintained composure

Late in the fourth quarter, it looked like Miami was taking over. LeBron was starting to hit, Golden State lost its continuity offensively, and it appeared that the veteran Heat team would end up triumphant. Not so fast. Mark Jackson's group persevered and forced Miami into some tough shots late, and they turned those defensive stops into points on the other end. This win was absolutely huge for the Warriors' growth.

 

3. Huge night from Jarrett Jack

Stephen Curry only scored nine points, but thankfully for Golden State, Jack was there to drop 20 off the bench. He went through a stretch late in the third where he could not miss, and that came when the rest of the Warriors had gone quiet offensively. He also recognized the breakdown in Miami's defense on the final play and found Green cutting baseline for the easy two. Great game from the veteran.

 

4. Forced turnovers

Golden State forced the Heat into turning the ball over 18 times, including a couple of huge turnovers led that really killed the momentum that Miami had built. The Warriors are not known for their defense, but they certainly did a heck of a job out there tonight. Imagine if they had a healthy Andrew Bogut?

 

5. Draymond Green's toughness

Don't think for a second that Green didn't earn respect from his teammates when he jawed back at LeBron after LeBron stared him down and talked some trash after an and-one. Green got the last laugh, hitting the game-winner. He finished with a solid line of seven points and seven boards. He also did a solid job defending James.