Miami Heat utilizing 'Big 5' lineup to close out wins

Over the past couple games, the Miami Heat have utilized a lineup at the end of games that has gotten quite a bit of attention from the media and fans alike. Erik Spoelstra has gone to his "Big 5" lineup in two straight games, and in both games the lineup was able to close out their opponent and come away with a Heat victory.

The Big 5 lineup consists of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. That particular blend of players gives the Heat an ultimate amount of flexibility on both ends of the floor. So far they have proven to be a strong combination, closing out the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

First, against Philly, Erik Spoelstra inserted the Big 5 lineup for about five minutes in the 4th quarter. While they were on the court, the new combo went on a 15-0 run that effectively put the game away for the Heat. A couple days later against Toronto, the Big 5 came into a game that had just seen Miami allow a 15-point lead to be trimmed down to 5.

They were able to stop the bleeding and turn things around in their favor, going on a 6-0 run over a two-minute span that put the Heat up for good. In both games the Big 5 shut down the opponents scoring, playing strong, aggressive defense. They played a combined nine minutes in the two games, outscoring the Sixers and Raptors 25-9 while holding them to shooting just 3-of-16 from the field.

Here are some comments from LeBron and D-Wade about the Big 5 lineup. With the players excited about the potential of the lineup, its understandable how the fans and media are giving it so much attention. Said LeBron and Dwyane:

LeBron- "It's a good lineup for us. It allows us to do some unique things defensively and then offensively as well. We are all comfortable with having that lineup down the stretch."

D-Wade- "We can do a lot of things [with this lineup]. That's good for us, when we use our length. And with myself and [James] being playmakers. You have a guy like [Miller] who can spread the floor and shoot the ball very well and [Bosh] as well. Then we've got [Haslem]; our rebounder and a guy who can make big shots for us. We like that lineup to close games."