I am reviewing these two games together because I am actually now on holiday with the family, so it’s been a busy last couple of days.
Game 3
This game was a tale of two men…Jokic and Murray. I expected Denver to win this game and they really did dominate. The final score of 109-94 actually doesn’t do the game justice as to how Denver played this game. The two stars combined to become the first duo to record triple-doubles in a finals game in history, and with the additional 15 points from Braun and 11 points from Gordon, it showed the dominance that the Nuggets could display. The dynamic duo each had 10 assists, Murray outscored the Serbian giant by 2 points with 34 to 32, but Joker had a stunning 21 rebounds. That kills the opposing team when they just can’t win a possession, and that’s why Miami couldn’t get back in this game.
You can look at Jimmy and Bam’s box score and think – “yeah, those two scored well” – but rest assured they did not. Butler had 28 points but it took him 24 shots and 6 free throws to get there. Bam had 22 points but it took him 21 shots and 10 free throws. That is a stunning number of times to shoot the ball and miss, and when your team isn’t getting the offensive rebounds, how can you expect to win?! In the end, offensively the Heat just didn’t have what was needed to come even close to the Nuggets, and that is why they lost this game.
Game 4
I expected Miami to win this game. They’ve played the underdog role all playoffs and it’s faired them well, and with the game at home, one of best coaches in the league and the momentum of winning game 2 in Denver, I thought they would play well and hard enough to steal this game. I was wrong. Denver won the game 108-95. Again, it appears closer than it was.
Starting with the Heat this time, Butler once again led the way with 25 points from 17 shots, and Bam followed that with 20 points from 19 shots. 45 points in an NBA Finals game, a game 4 at home which is considered a must-win is flat out not good enough. Jimmy Butler was being talked about as a superstar in this league, who doesn’t put 100% effort in during the season because he saves himself for the playoffs where he can then carry his team to the finals and eventually the chip. He in my opinion is gassed, and has been since the series against Boston. I don’t remember the last time he scored more than 32, and he is wildly inefficient. I will give him the fact he is apparently dealing with a personal off-court issue, but in sports analysis you have to ignore things like that. Bam is helping a bit, but win the level of possessions it is taking Miami to put mediocre scores up, they are doomed for a Gentleman’s sweep in my opinion.
This to me was the game that showed how scary Denver are. You probably see the score and think Joker and Murray put up big numbera again, but they combined for less than the Miami duo. Joker had 23 and Murray had 15. That means the Nuggets got 38 points from their two stars and still managed to dominate the game. The reason they did was Aaron Gordon shined with 27 points, Brown had 21 and the underperforming Porter Jr. had 11. When you can get double digits from five players, and you are up against a team that just isn’t very good offensively, the win is inevitable.
Going up 3-1 in a series and then going home for Game 5 means the odds are more than in your favour. The world will be picking Denver today so I will go against the grain and say Miami somehow steal it. I expect a 40 point game from Butler and that will be enough to scrape a victory….but I am definitely not confident in this. I half expect to wake up to the news Denver won 125-102 with a Joker triple-double including 25 rebounds, but the longer it goes, the more sport there is to talk about, because once this series is done, the world slows down for a couple of months.
I also called Denver in 6, so I need a Miami win!