Finding Hidden Concerns: Can the Miami Heat Extend the Championship Series Against the Denver Nuggets?

The first game between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat Championship Series, although the Heat have repeatedly shown their unpredictability this year, but facing the Nuggets with a strong lineup and a higher level of basic strength, the so-called miracle did not appear in the first game. It is also impossible to replicate the good performance of winning the opponent’s home court in the first game of the past three series.

At the start of the game, the two sides set up the most competitive starting lineup. Like the Lakers in the last round, the Heat did not make changes to Jokic, and this became a weakness that the Nuggets could chase from the beginning.

The Nuggets allowed Jokic to pull Adebayo out of the paint and Murray to set a screen for Gordon, creating a chance for Gordon to miss out on Vincent. Gordon also lived up to the chances his teammates created for him. Successive baskets made the Heat call a timeout.

The Heat immediately used the zone defense to force Gordon to enter the penalty area to ask for the ball, but the Heat’s defensive strategy also indirectly liberated the offensive space of Murray and Porter. Facing the gold nuggets where four of the starting five players can play misplaced, the Heat’s state can only be described as taking care of one thing and losing another, and this situation almost helped the Heat set the tone for the entire game.

Although the Nuggets fell into an unsightly offensive situation for several rounds in the fourth quarter because of Jokic’s low willingness to single, but as soon as Jokic started to single Adebayo, the little flame of hope for the Heat was immediately defeated by those who easily succeeded. The goal was stamped out.

In the end, the Nuggets won by 11 points, but if you consider the content of the first three quarters and the fourth quarter as the Nuggets screwed up themselves, the gap between the two sides should still be much larger than the 11-point difference.

Just when many people have already decided that the tone of this series has been set and it is difficult for the Heat to break through, as a Nugget fan, I can still see some hidden worries. If the Heat can grasp these hidden concerns, and the offensive end, whether it is the three-point line or Butler, can play at the level it should have, I think this series still has a chance to be extended.

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Concern 1: Gordon’s singles is not stable

Gordon’s performance was the main reason why the Nuggets were able to take the lead in the first quarter, but this point was mainly due to the large size gap between Gordon and Vincent, which allowed Gordon to easily score points at the basket.

What if Gordon’s release was off the hook for a dunk or even a rebound around the rim? I believe this can reduce Gordon’s offensive efficiency quite a lot.

So if the Heat don’t prevent Gordon from catching the ball in singles, or let him catch the ball a little outside, and then double-team after the ball is dropped, Gordon is likely to have to shoot the middle distance with relatively inefficient shots, even in the process of handling the ball. An error occurred in .

Concern 2: Butler and Adebayo’s pick-and-roll drive

If the Nuggets were the same Nuggets I knew, a swingman who cuts sharply could easily cut a deep hole in the Nuggets’ defense.

When the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves in the first round, they thought that Edwards’s cut could not kill the Nuggets’ team offense, but in fact it was difficult for the Nuggets to take down Edwards, who was as fast as a knife.

Of course I know Butler is not as fast and has a foot injury, but Adebayo is also more of a threat than Gobert in the pick-and-roll. When the Heat’s perimeter shooters are off, scoring points in this way will bring a lot of gold nuggets Trouble.

Concern 3: Players other than Jokic feel

Before the start of the series, I saw some people say that the Heat should let Adebayo defend Jokic alone, and even if you score 50 points for Jokic, you shouldn’t allow other players to score. Force Jokic to single out this option one-on-one, because relying on other people to cover each other can also seize powerful dislocation opportunities. At this time, if Adebayo cannot protect the penalty area, it is basically difficult for the Heat to have a chance to comeback.

If the Heat put Love to single-handedly defend Jokic and let Adebayo return to the help position, Love’s defense will become another hole. If the Nuggets use the rebound advantage to start a counterattack fast break at this time, the Heat may not be able to withstand such a blow .

If the Heat allowed Jokic to catch the ball at the elbow in the second game, but frequently used peripheral players to pinch Jokic to make short passes to the shooter on the three-point line, making the Nuggets rely heavily on three-point shots, then the uncertainty of the Nuggets will increase. up.

Although the gold nugget’s three-point shooting rate is not bad, compared with Jokic’s singles, there are other air cuts and dislocations in various positions. This is where the Heat have a better chance to gamble. If you don’t have a game, you may no longer have the capital to win without gambling.

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