Hornets have Heat on ropes with Game 5 win

FULL FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE | EXPERT BRACKETS

With a chaotic finish and a clutch jumper from Courtney Lee, the Charlotte Hornets escaped American Airlines Arena with a 90-88 Game 5 win on Wednesday. They have a 3-2 lead over the Miami Heat and a first-round upset just became a lot more likely.

Four things to know:

1. If all you watched was the last minute and a half, you would have seen more twists and turns than some playoff series. After a wild Miami turnover, Lee missed a layup on a fast break that would have put Charlotte up by one. This looked like a guaranteed bucket, but Dwyane Wade appeared to catch up and get a chase-down block … only the ball definitely hit the glass first. Upon replay, it was hard to tell whether or not Wade actually touched the ball, but if he did, it should have been goaltending.

The Heat then had a horrible possession that ended with Josh Richardson shooting an airball on a deep 3-pointer late in the shot clock. On the other end, Kemba Walker missed a jumper, but Lee came out of nowhere to grab an offensive rebound. Then he hit the 3 that would turn out to be the game-winner. You’ll want to see this one:

It should be noted that Lee was 1 for 8 before taking that shot, and he shot it with confidence. It should also be noted that this was the second game in a row in which Lee grabbed an offensive rebound on a crucial possession — he did it Monday right at the end of the Hornets’ Game 4 win.

“He’s made the two biggest plays of the last two games,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “They’ve both been offensive rebounds.”

After Lee’s shot, Kemba Walker blocked Goran Dragic’s corner 3, and then Wade lost his …

continue reading in source www.cbssports.com