After Act I won by the Nuggets, the NBA Finals continue this Sunday with a new clash between Denver and Miami in Colorado (from 2 a.m.). Still undefeated at home in the Playoffs, Nikola Jokic’s friends will try to break before traveling to Florida.
Convincing during Game 1, the Nuggets intend to stay on their cloud against Miami. The Denver collective was once again impressive in these Playoffs, with as always the Nikola Jokic – Jamal Murray doublet to pull the locomotive to the right destination. We could see during Game 1 that the Nuggets had learned their lesson well by taking advantage of their size advantage against the Heat. The best symbol being this fiery start to the match from Aaron Gordon, who took advantage of the mismatches to successively push Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and another Caleb Martin under the circle while Jokic kept Adebayo away.
Denver knew how to hit where it hurts and was not unduly worried by Miami, apart from the small comeback at the end of the match, managed with a master hand by a Nikola Jokic who once again swears only by the triple-double, and all while trotting. What to fill up with confidence before this second game at home, where the team has still not lost on these Playoffs. However, if we listen to Michael Malone, there is plenty to improve in this series.
“We won the first game. The reason why I told our players that I was happy this morning is that we won the first game and we didn’t play well, and there are so many things that we we can improve. If we do these things at a better level, we will have a chance to win the second game.
– Michael Malone
On the Heat side, it’s time for adjustments for Erik Spoelstra. Despite the defeat, the manager has several reasons to believe in a better game tonight. First, Jimmy Butler won’t be playing Casper the Ghost forever. We know the guy, he will come back with rage in his stomach to help his family. Second, the Heat’s shooters had shaky hands like Max Strus and Caleb Martin, but it’s one of the team’s favorite weapons in these Playoffs. If it can end up in a brick contest on some nights, it can also end up in a shower of points at other times. Another factor that is likely to play, aggressiveness in attack and the ability to get points on the free throw line. With only 2 shots in Game 1, Miami achieved a sad NBA record. Erik Spoelstra intends to see his men correct the situation this evening.
“I think the free throw disparity was appropriate. Maybe we could have gotten two, four or six more with a whistle here or there. But overall, we attacked the basket less, which usually translates into fewer free throws”.
– Erik Spoelstra
Confirmation for the Nuggets, alarm clock for the Heat, this Game 2 promises to be full of surprises and it will be to follow from 2am tonight.
2023-06-04 08:09:00
#Nuggets #Heat #preview #Game
