The Miami Heat avoided a bad history when they defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat took a 3-0 lead in that series before losing three games in a row. But when all the chips were on the table, they had a great road win.
That earned them a trip to the NBA Finals, where they encountered a buzz saw in Game 1. The Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and picked up where they left off against the Heat.
Denver won 104-93 in a game that was nowhere near as close as the final score would indicate. Miami trailed almost the entire game and went down by a whopping 24 points.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
A big reason for their lack of success was that their jump shots didn’t land. That kept the Heat from finding a rhythm, which Jimmy Butler commented on after the game.
“Probably because we did a lot of jump shots, where I was probably leading that pack myself, rather than putting pressure on the rim,” Butler said after scoring just 13 points. “Getting layups, going to the free throw line. If you look at them during the game, they all look like the right shots.
“And I’m not saying we can’t make those as a team, but we need to get more layups, we need to get more free throws. And if you miss and don’t come back, the game quickly spirals out of control. We’ve given up too many layups, which can’t happen either. But that’s it as a whole. We have to attack the rim much more, including myself.”
After being on fire all postseason, the Heat went ice cold in Game 1. They only shot 40.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent on 3-pointers in total. Max Strus and Caleb Martin, who the Celtics will have nightmares about for a while, shot a combined 1-for-17.
“I like the looks, and I think we’ll get more looks,” Martin said. “I think this game was kind of a puzzle game; well, find out half of it. I think we started to get it in the second half, but the looks we got, the shots we missed, it’s kind of laughable. We are much better shooters than we shot tonight.”
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
Martin has easily been the Heat’s second best player in the postseason behind Butler, even taking a leading role during games at times. It was bad timing for a bad night of shooting, but it happens sometimes. Game 1 was only the second time this postseason that Strus failed to make at least one 3-pointer in a game, and he attempted nine.
‘I love everything we did offensively’ Strus said. “We can be a little more intentional, but the looks we have, we will live with that. We know we are better shooters than that.”
After having a clear coaching advantage in every series thus far this postseason, Erik Spoelstra was matched in Game 1 by Michael Malone. Every move made was countered. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter, when the game was already decided, that the Heat found the rhythm offensively.
“They’re fine,” said Spoelstra. ‘I mean, they don’t get sick at sea. When it comes to shooters, you can’t always get all the shots you want. Then you need to find different ways to influence the game.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
“Our game is not only built on the 3-point ball. We have proven that time and time again. We can win games. We can win series no matter how the 3 goes. But we also have flammable guys. You see a few going through and that too can become an avalanche. Somehow we have to find a way to get the job done.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments the Heat make for Game 2, which is scheduled for Sunday-evening. Returning to their bread-and-butter attacking paint is probably at the top of that to-do list. After seeing how aggressively they played all of the postseason, it was shocking that the Heat had only two free throw attempts all game.
“You have to attack and attack everyone, not just one individual,” said Butler. “I have to try harder to create the help, one, two guys, and get to my shooter, or end up near the edge and take shots.
NBA NEWS & FINALS COVERAGE: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat & Denver Nuggets Updates
“But we missed a lot tonight, and we’ll be better in Game 2. At the end of the day, that’s what it is, and we’ll take this and we’ll learn from it, and we’ll be back.” within two days.”
A positive outcome of the match was Bam Adebayo getting on track. He shot 13-of-25 from the field for 26 points. His matchup with Nikola Jokic is a tough one defensively, but he should find plenty of chances to score.
Bringing in another 26 points this series should give the Heat confidence in their chances of taking home a win. His scoring impact is something they haven’t had consistently this postseason, but if the role players can find their shooting strokes again and Butler continues to play at a high level, that’s a recipe for success.
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