Erik Spoelstra Reveals How Game-Winning Play For Andrew Wiggins Was Drawn Up
Nov 13, 2025
With 0.4 seconds left in the Miami Heat’s overtime game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, coach Erik Spoelstra watched as Andrew Wiggins caught the ball off an inbound lob, threw down a game-winning dunk, and improved the team’s record to 6-4.
It was a satisfying moment for sure, but Spoelstra didn’t draw up that play. Someone else on the Heat coaching staff did.
In the post-game media availability, the multi-titled Heat mentor gave credit where it was due: Chris Quinn, the associate head coach.
“I've had that play on my card listed as CQ for 4 years,” Spoelstra told reporters. “When it got to that point, Quinny said we should run that. I said, you know what, there's no better person to diagram it than the one who came up with the thing.”
Timing is everything, and to Spoelstra's credit, he whipped out "CQ" from his arsenal of plays at the most opportune moment. Off a timeout with 6.5 seconds left, the Heat were up 138-135. They forced a Sam Merrill miss from beyond the arc, but Donovan Mitchell grabbed the offensive board and launched his own three. Mitchell's shot went in, and with the score tied, it was Miami's turn to get into a huddle.
0.4 seconds leaves very little room for any team to operate, so Spoelstra and his staff went for a quick-hitter that fit the description of catch-and-shoot to a tee. As the Heat executed Quinn's play, Norman Powell took his position near the half-court line to draw his defender away. Jaime Jaquez Jr., a threat from the three-point line, hovered at the right corner.
To ensure even more space for the shot-taker, Davion Mitchell set his back screen at the top of the key. This gave Wiggins all the space to make a rim run, and with no Cleveland defenders clogging up the paint, Nikola Jokić had the easiest time throwing a lob for an alley-oop dunk.
After the game, Wiggins admitted that his only focus was “catching the ball.” He certainly didn’t drop it, and now, the Heat are right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference. They’ll probably find themselves in another tough situation pretty soon, but when that happens, Spoelstra has an assortment of well-designed plays to choose from.
