Game Thread NBA Playoffs Thread - 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP! Nuggets vs Heat!

One thing no one mentions is that the Heat have way more Finals experience than Denver including two champs including Love & Lowry.

 

I still wonder about Denver's 3 man bench...... although they keep playing well.

The most surprising player for me on the Nuggets is MPjr..........not that his stats are horrible, but I keep waiting for a breakout game and so far it isn't happening. He looks very average out there.

 

Looking at the two teams today after the Nurk trade kinda makes my stomach upset. How much we’ve declined.

Really going to need to do something to be contending next year.

 

The same way most every player gets open. Through picks and screens with some good passes. Open looks are just that. Making 50% of them is the key.

 

…….. #FAMS

 

FAMS….. “contend next year”? Cmon.

 

I was just saying there’s more to it than making the shots. Plus, most of their points were from 2s and FTs. You know basketball is more than “they shot well from 3, they should’ve blown out Denver.”

 

Denver was 3-7 this season in the 10 games where Jokic had fewer than 7 assists. According to Colin Cowherd.

 

The issue Denver is struggling with is, their 3 bench guys put forth the most consistent defensive effort, along with KCP, but they're an offensive-oriented team that can't afford to rest their scorers.

Murray, Porter, and Jokic are well below average at the defensive end, and Gordon is only meh other than the occasional highlight play. Jokic's defensive shortcomings are somewhat masked because they have no direct substitute, so they look worse without him by default.

Personally, I'd make Porter the odd man out and rotate Brown/Braun in his minutes. He's a great catch-and-shoot guy, but can't do much else, including simple side steps. I suspect his oddball characteristics upstairs make it impossible for his focus to not wander regularly, so he often looks disengaged.

 

Not sure I have ever seen a halftime broadcast with a group of people who obviously all dislike one member.
What was ESPN thinking putting SAS on the crew?

 

Cody Zeller moves like a newly born fawn and catches the ball like he lathered his hands in butter before every game. And Neil Olshey thought he was a good signing…

 

Re-Do the 2022 Draft, Christian Braun is a top 10 guy

 

Biggest all-rookie team snub this year?

 

Should be 3-0 if only Denver did not sleep in the 4th qtr of game 2

 

Well, so do the Heat and everyone can't stop massaging their collective balls right now.

 

It looked like the Heat were playing hard, showing hustle, they just could not overcome the clear size advantage Denver possesses.

 

It's such a significant difference. Very much reminds me of when we played them in the playoffs two years ago.

 

The heat shot 31% from three? Here is the other side. The Nuggets shot 5-18 28% from three.

This shows me that if the Heat can't make open looks they cannot beat the size and physicality of the Nuggets. The Nuggets will eventually wear this team down.

 

Jokic and Murray both had triple-doubles. That's never happened in the NBA Finals before. Denver is just a much better team than Miami.

 

Yeah, but isn't the size advantage really only Jokic? I mean Gordon is a 6'8" PF with a 7' wing. At 235 he probably possesses the perfect size for a PF these days, but nothing that special. Porter has good size for an SF, but he has not been much of a factor (1-7 last night with 7 boards) Jokic of course is a huge difference-maker. He and Murray control the whole game.