Heat’s daring plan to defend Jokic, Nuggets in Finals
NBA Analytics NetworkThe road hasn’t been easy, but the Miami Heat will represent the Eastern Conference in the 2023…
The road hasn’t been easy, but the Miami Heat will represent the Eastern Conference in the 2023 NBA Finals. They defeated the №1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round before knocking out the №5 seeded New York Knicks. After taking a 3–0 lead against the №2 seeded Boston Celtics in the Easter Conference Finals, Miami lost three in a row before blowing out the Celtics on the road in Game 7.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Heat, who must now figure out a way to beat the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets ran through the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, winning them in four games.
While many people in the media have underestimated Denver, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra certainly isn’t. He knows this is a great team that his guys will be up against, who are clicking on all cylinders.
“I don’t know why the mainstream media may have slept a little on Denver,” said Spoelstra. “But when we saw them in the bubble, we thought, okay, this team is basically going to do what they’re doing this year and so far. We thought this would be a run for a long time. If [Jamal] Murray wasn’t hurt, they probably would have had a few finals spots. That’s how great a duo they are and a system that Mike and his staff built that really fit.
“I think, we all think, they’re legit, and in some ways it’s a mirror image series, not in style, but teams that have probably been overlooked, underrated, have a chip built on their shoulder about that. It promises to be a great match.”
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Jimmy Butler & Miami Heat Updates
The fact that Jamal Murray is healthy certainly helps this team take things to another level. He was outstanding this postseason, averaging 27.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 39.1 minutes per game. His shot distribution is an impressive .480/.398/.925 and he has scored at least 25 points in every game against the Lakers, including three consecutive 31+ point performances to start the series.
Delaying Murray will be important to the Heat’s game plan, but on top of their to-do list, Nikola Jokic neutralizes to the best of his ability. The two-time MVP has been on the warpath in the off-season, showing night in and night out why he deserved to win the award for the third season in a row.
“He’s very unique,” That said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Wednesday. “He doesn’t really have noticeable weaknesses in terms of his size, his skills. He’s one of the many ways he can influence the game and winning.”
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Jimmy Butler & Miami Heat Updates
Jokic needed to score the ball? He’s more than capable of that, with performances of 53 and 43 runs this postseason. Take away his shooting chances, he likes to play facilitator. Jokic has double-digit assists in nine games this postseason and at least five in every game.
No matter how you try to defend Jokic, he seems to have something against it. What are the Heat’s plans to slow him down? According to Jimmy Butler, it will take a total team effort to get the job done.
“Guarding him like a team with all five guys,” said Butler. “He’s doing everything so well, and we’re going to have to watch, we’re going to have to bounce back. We can’t have defensive misses. We’ll just have to go after it. I think at the end of the day, he’s a major key, as DJ Khaled would say, and we’re going to have to lock in.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Jimmy Butler & Miami Heat Updates
This series is certainly interesting from an X and an O’s point of view. Michael Malone and Spoelstra will go back and forth with their chess game and put their players in the best position to succeed. That’s certainly easier said than done, as Jokic and Butler have proven, no matter what game plan you come up with against them, they can figure out a way to find success against it.
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