Goran Dragic driven to steer Heat back on track in Game 4

9:10 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Don’t be fooled by the disarming European accent, easy smile and friendly personality. Between those lines on the court, Goran Dragic is a relentless bulldog.

Beneath the surface, the Miami Heat veteran point guard is an irritable dude these days. Dragic has committed only two turnovers through Miami’s first three playoff games but has struggled with his offense and has shot just 36.4 percent from the field.

Dragic’s early foul trouble while struggling to keep up with Kemba Walker rendered him a defensive liability in Miami’s 96-80 loss in Game 3 of their first-round series against Charlotte. But as the Heat enter a pivotal Game 4 Monday, Dragic vows to steer them clear of the matchup problems and mistakes that doomed his team Saturday. He won’t back down from Walker, either.

A Heat victory gives them a 3-1 series lead and pushes the Hornets to the brink of elimination heading into Game 5 on Wednesday in Miami, but a Hornets’ win Monday evens the series. Dragic embraces the stakes, and discussed his mindset in Sunday’s Q&A as the Heat look to regroup in Game 4.

Goran Dragic might be easygoing and friendly off the court, but the Heat’s point guard isn’t hesitant to get after it on the court. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Question: What went wrong during Charlotte’s 18-0 run in the third quarter that broke open Game 3?

Dragic: Nothing. We had a lot of open shots that we didn’t make. We’re a really good team, but close to the basket, we were shooting 7-for-22 or something like that. We just had an off shooting night. But we need to do a better job on defense and try to get into the open court.

Q: Did you guys get away from the game plan on offense at that point?

Dragic: Sometimes there was just too much one-on-one. I don’t know why. But I feel like, at that stretch, we had a lot of contested shots and we didn’t make those. And they ran on us and made some easy 3-pointers and layups. We just need to be more focused to get to the right spots and execute our offense.

Q: What do you want to …

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