NBA Playoffs: Goran Dragic Currently Ahead Of LeBron James In Plus-Minus Category

Consistency has been one of Goran Dragic’s key strengths for the Miami Heat as he’s overtaken LeBron James in the playoffs’ plus-minus statistic. This has propelled the Miami Heat to take a 2-0 lead against the Boston Celtics.

In the latest Heat victory, Dragic played a crucial role in leading Miami’s offense. Despite a 17-point deficit, Dragic along with Jimmy Butler was able to rally their team to a slim 106-101 victory.

With six Heat players scoring in double figures, it was Dragic who led all scorers with 25 points. The All-Star guard also tallied five assists while draining three makes from beyond the arc.

After the match, Dragic’s plus-minus rating was at +104. The only player ahead of him among those still in the playoffs is Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis with a plus-minus of +108. This means the Heat’s lefty guard has overtaken LeBron James who is slated at +101.

The definition of the plus-minus rating indicates the contribution of a player when he is on the court. Having this metric aims to measure how well the team is performing with a certain player.

The latest Heat win came at the third-year anniversary of Dragic’s country Slovenia winning the EuroBasket Championship.

"Feels exactly the same," Dragic said as reported by ESPN.

One of the biggest moments in the game was how the Heat outscored the Celtics 37-17 in the third quarter.

"We pulled apart and we didn't play well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

The energy was consistent for the Heat squad as they hustled both offensively and on the defensive side as well.

"And they did a good job. We're not beating this team if we're not completely connected on both ends of the court. So, got to get back to being that, which we've been at times. But right now, they're a better team. We're going to have to fight to get back in this series," Stevens added.

With the latest win, Erik Spoelstra’s squad is now 10-1 in the postseason. They are two wins away from returning to the NBA finals as Dragic and Butler continue to lead the squad in a historic playoff run.