NBA Finals 2023: Hot Takes and Top Storylines Heat vs. Nuggets Game 2
The Denver Nuggets were the favorites and coming off 10 days rest heading into Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals. It's certainly looked like it, as Denver largely had its way with the underdog Miami Heat.
While a late Miami surge made for a somewhat respectable 104-93 final score, Denver led by as many as 24 points in the second half and did pretty much whatever it wanted offensively.
Nikola Jokić (27 points) and Jamal Murray (26 points) soared, while Denver's defense continually countered Miami's attack. Jimmy Butler, who has been superb this postseason, was held to only 13 points on 14 attempts.
The series will remain in Denver for Game 2, and Miami will need to make a few adjustments to even the score. Let's examine a few hot takes, predictions and some of the latest storylines to follow in Game 2.
Miami Has to Be More Successful in the Paint
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Let's be honest, the Nuggets can pretty much do what they've been doing since the start of the Western Conference Finals. Tough defense, consistent play from Jokić and smart team basketball can win this series.
Denver has the edge in rest and has a size advantage when Jokić and Aaron Gordon are on the floor. Miami is the team that needs to alter its strategy.
Though the Heat made a respectable 33 percent of their three-point attempts, they need to find a way to do better work inside—which is easier said than done against the Nuggets.
Denver scored eight more points in the paint than Miami in Game 1 and created a massive imbalance in free-throw attempts by attacking the interior. The Nuggets went to the line for 20 attempts, while Miami had only two.
"I mean, when we got in the locker room and seen the stat sheet, I feel like we were all shocked that we only had two free throws," Bam Adebayo said, per Ira Winderman of the Orlando Sentinel.
The free-throw disparity was a big reason why Denver had a large cushion going into the fourth quarter. That has to change in Game 2 if the Heat are going to have a shot.
Miami must improve defensively inside too, as Jokić and Murray decimated the Heat with the pick-and-roll.
"We gave up too many layups, which we also can't have happen. But that's it as a whole. We've got to attack the rim a lot more, myself included," Butler said, per ESPN's Nick Friedell.
Expect to see a more aggressive Miami team on Sunday, while Denver keeps on playing its proven brand of basketball.
Miami Still Awaiting Tyler Herro's Return, Caleb Martin Absent in Saturday's Practice
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A better game plan can help Miami get back into this series. Having standout Tyler Herro back would help too. Herro, who averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists during the regular season, has been out since the beginning of Miami's first playoff series with a broken hand.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Herro's return in Game 2 "looms as a possibility."
The Heat certainly won't rush Herro back onto the court, and head coach Erik Spoelstra wasn't ready to make a determination on Herro's status as of Saturday.
"The status has not changed yet," Spoelstra said, per Friedell. "I'm not trying to be elusive about that."
There's still a good chance that the Heat will be without Herro on Sunday, and they could be without Caleb Martin as well. He was absent from Saturday's practice with an illness, according to Friedell.
Martin wasn't very effective in Game 1, going 1-for-7 for three points, but he has played well for most of the postseason after getting more opportunities with Herro out. Not having either player in Game 2 would be a big blow to the Heat's hopes.
Game 2 Will Determine How This Series Unfolds
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The Heat reached the 2023 NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed because they found ways to alternate losing stretches with some bursts of incredible team basketball. The Nuggets, who claimed the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, have been the far more consistent team.
Denver's consistency has continued in the playoffs, where the Nuggets have lost only three games, swept the Western Conference Finals and now have a 1-0 lead over Miami in the Finals. Entering Sunday's Game 2, it feels like this series will go one of two ways.
The Nuggets could dominate like they did in Game 1 and go on to blow past the Heat like they did the Los Angeles Lakers in the last round. Or the Heat will show the same resiliency they have all year and battle back to make this a long series.
Only once during the regular season did Miami notch a winning streak of more than three games. It happened in December, and it was a four-game run. The Heat simply haven't been a squad that imposes its will for long stretches, and it has endured a lot—like a three-game skid that took the Eastern Conference Finals to Game 7.
"When things don't go your way, we just keep on forcing ahead... Suffer, suffer and suffer until you get what you want," Spoelstra said in his postgame speech after the Game 7 victory.
It wouldn't be a shock to see Miami bounce back in a big way, draw even, steal home-court advantage and take the series back to South Florida with momentum. If that doesn't happen, though, this one could be over in four or five games even with Herro's potential return.
Denver is capable of thriving on the road, and the Heat are prone to stringing bad games together. That's a combination that could doom Miami, which had far less rest coming into the series and couldn't afford back-to-back losses the rest of the way.
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