Miami's 24th straight victory, was by far, their toughest and most incredible win of the streak thus far. After trailing by 27 points, the highest margin they trailed throughout the streak, to the underhanded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Heat looked like they were accepting that the streak would end at 23.
But the reigning MVP LeBron James wasn't going to allow the streak to end, and definitely not in Cleveland.
James had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the fourth as Miami rallied to win for the second game in a row. He finished with 25 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 42 minutes and led the Heat to overcome the large deficit and won their 24th straight game, 98-95, to extend the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.
"This was one of the most bizarre, unique days of my life with everything that happened," said James, referring to a homecoming in which a fan ran onto the floor and the opening tip was delayed 35 minutes by a leaky scoreboard. "It also was one of the best comebacks I've ever been a part of."
The Heat are now within nine games of matching the record of 33 consecutive wins held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Once believed to be untouchable, the mark is now within reach.
The comeback alone was wild, but perhaps the wildest moment of the night was when a fan onto the court to let James know how much the city of Cleveland misses him.
"He said he missed me and come back please," James said. "I didn't have much time to say much because security got to him. They've got metal detectors here, right? So I knew I was OK."
Shortly before the game, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert tweeted a message aimed at Cavs fans and, perhaps, at James himself: "Cleveland Cavaliers young talent makes our future very bright. Clearly, LeBron's is as well. Time for everyone to focus on the road ahead."
Following the game, Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted a congratulations to the Cavs team and to Gilbert himself.
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