The Nuggets try to find an answer to the Heat’s mental resolve
In Game 2 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals on Sunday at the aptly named Ball Arena, the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets experienced what the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics all did in succumbing to the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat this postseason.
The Heat’s mental resolve is unparalleled.
After losing Game 1 on Sunday in Denver by 103-94, a rightful first impression many took away in witnessing the Nuggets’ two-time league MVP center Nikola Jokic (27) and uber-talented guard Jamal Murray (26) combine for more than half of their team’s points in a 104-93 win was the duo would be too challenging for the Heat to overcome.
Although in Round 1 the No. 8 seed had found a way to vanquish the No. 1 seed Bucks, which possesses their own two-time NBA MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo and All-Star Jrue Holiday, then ended the rugged No. 5 seed Knicks’ season in the conference semifinals with guard Jalen Brunson putting on a superhuman display, and knocked off the No. 2 seed Celtics and the dynamic tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the East Finals, Jokic and Murray were playing at a stratosphere to which the Heat could not ascend.
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Until the Heat’s seemingly implausible gravitational pull brought the Nuggets back down to Earth in Game 2. The force perpetually attached the Heat’s All-NBA forward Jimmy Butler, who is also a five-time NBA All-Defensive team selection, to Murray with significant help from his teammates, limiting the multi-skilled scorer to 18 points on 7-15 shooting. Despite Jokic’s 41 points, making 16 of 28 shots, the Heat’s formula of slowing down one of the stars and neutralizing the secondary players, notably forward Micheal Porter Jr. (five points, 2-8 shooting) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (six points, 1-4) was manifest in the results.
Thus, they went into Game 3 at home last night at the Kaseya Center tied 1-1 with the favored Nuggets having Game 4 tomorrow night also in Miami. One win there would assure the Heat a Game 6 next Thursday back in their building. Game 5 will be in Denver this upcoming Monday.
“Our guys love to compete,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, speaking with the media after Game 2. “They love to put themselves out there in those moments of truth. Fortunately we were able to make a lot of big defensive plays down the stretch, and then we got a lot of contributions, which you’re going to need against a team like this.”
Even with a near flawless fourth quarter, in which they outscored Nuggets head coach Mike Malone’s squad by 36-25, the Heat barely escaped going into overtime when Murray missed a game-tying 26-foot, 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
“I felt like Game 2, as teammates, it’s funny, Imma joke about it, I didn’t think we liked each other out there” said Caldwell-Pope ahead of Game 3.
“We [weren’t] communicating, a lot of breakdowns like you said,” he acknowledged to a reporter, “and stuff we knew what we needed to do. It just wasn’t happening and it threw everybody off.
The Nuggets issues weren’t just self-inflicted. They were caused by the Heat’s concerted and united execution of their game plan designed masterfully by head coach Eric Spolestra and his staff. Replicating and effectively applying it for the remainder of the series to attain four wins will be difficult and unprecedented as a No. 8 seed has never captured an NBA title.
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