The Miami Heat’s win over the Houston Rockets didn’t come without a fight, literally and figuratively. The Vice City staged am amazing fightback which eventually led to a chippy end. Tyler Herro, the star of the night got slugged to the floor by Amen Thompson. That set off the fuse for both the benches.

Practically everyone from both sides was on the floor, trying to either stop or defend their teammate. Terry Rozier, the closest man to the incident dove on Thompson in protest. Jalen Green for Houston did the same. It resulted in six ejections. Still, the mayhem that it caused was the only practical outcome for Bam Adebayo. After the heated game, he spoke about one of the traits of the ‘Heat Culture’ which disobeys the rules levied by the league.

“Yeah I mean that’s what being in this locker room is about. That’s the brotherhood we have. One of us gets into a scuffle, we all jump in. You know the rules on the bench. But you know the foul that’s out there, go get him off your teammate,” said the Heat’s star center.

It being the most gruesome moment of the season, it took over the headlines and the attention away from the thrilling game. Marred with physicality and grit, both teams showcased immense character. And as a coach, Spoelstra found it a “shame” that nobody would acknowledge the nature of the contest.

“It just shows you how competitive things are in both conferences. They are fighting for their spot… It’s shame that that will be the discussion of the game because really it was more about the competitive character our guys brought and that toughness. You know we are down 12, 14 in the second half. To be able to just battle and stay with it and you know find different ways to impact the game and put ourselves in a position to win,” the renowned coach said about his team.

And it truly took something extraordinary.

Tyler Herro and the Heat fight through adversity

In the fifth game without Jimmy Butler, arguably the best player on the roster, Miami had everything against them. They were on the road playing a fully healthy Houston team that had six more wins than them. Moreover, after losing their first-half lead, the home side ballooned their advantage to 12 in the third quarter.

Then came the advent of Tyler Herro. The prolific scorer for the Heat had one of the best games of his season. It wasn’t just another 25+ points performance, but one which personified his hunger to win. When down in the third, he scored 11 points, missing only a single shot to slice the deficit into a manageable one.

It inspired the Heat band to get together and flawlessly reduce a successful Houston offense to an inefficient quarter. They limited them to just 24% shooting in the final 12 minutes. They didn’t function particularly well either. But in a matchup that tested resilience, the Heat came out on top.

For them, it was a much-needed win after losing to the Atlanta Hawks. As for the Rockets, it was the second consecutive game where they couldn’t hold on to their late lead. As entertaining as the finish was, the game in itself was a spectacle for the fans present at the Toyota Center. And with another game left in their season series, it sets up another enthralling game painted with a storyline.