Nba Finals – Defense, Herro and… team : Miami’s plan to stop Jokic

Denver fans, who were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first Finals in history after the long post-sweep break of the Lakers, could not ask for more from game-1. A clear dominance and a clear demonstration of superiority, beyond the drop in tension in the fourth period with a result now compromised, for the Nuggets capable of sending the Heat’s defense into a tailspin and not suffering too much not even the dreaded zone coach Spoelstra.

The key

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With an MVP version of Jokic playing the role of assistman in the first half and producing when Denver needed him in the second half, Miami had to raise the white flag. The Nuggets’ ability to exploit their centimeters but above all the mismatches, in particular thanks to the readings of Serbian, immediately channeled the match onto the tracks preferred by coach Malone’s troop. So the first to strike was an excellent Gordon, capable of scoring 12 points in the first eight minutes, and then passing the baton to Murray without the Miami defense, not even with the zone, being able to find answers.

The teacher

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If the conductor Jokic with his usual altruism thinks about setting the pace in teammates without ever forcing, arriving at the break with only three conclusions on the scoresheet (three baskets) and 10 assists then the mountain to climb becomes a Tourmalet for the Heat who instead fired blanks from the perimeter, especially with three reliable snipers like Strus, Martin and Robinson (2/23 overall shooting), for most of the match. “Jokic is like that – underlines Michael Malone – he never forces anything and takes what the defense gives him. He knows how to read the game like few others, he always does the right thing and, most importantly, manages to bring out the best in his teammates. In the first half he scored 10 assists, then in the last quarter, when we entered the bonus early, he decided to attack the basket ”.

The countermeasures

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While Adebayo has made his mark offensively, limiting the two-time MVP seems like a really complicated feat for Miami. Not even the zone, which had annoyed the Celtics a lot, is served with Jokic able to always find the right pass. “It is useless to think that schemes can save us – warns Erick Spoelstra – what can help us is the collective attitude. In the second half we did better defensively, we become a good team if we play with the right approach, regardless of the schemes.” However, beyond the shooting problems of players who have proved to be reliable in this postseason, something that could also be categorized as “a bad evening”, Miami has given a feeling of impotence against the Denver attack that every time he needed a basket if he built it, and he found it, thanks to excellent ball movement and the readings of his center. “I didn’t force – says Nikola Jokic – I try never to do it, I take what the opposing defense gives me”. Miami needs to change register in race-2 (Monday in the Italian night) and of course to find consistency from long distances. Coach Spo maybe on Sunday he will finally find Herro who gave good indications after his workout in the match-1 pre-match. However, the Heat must find defensive adjustments to Nikola Jokic’s domain. Not an easy business.