I would play him with the 2nd unit but make sure Lowry isn’t out there imo
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Herro
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Highsmith
2023 NBA Finals: Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat (NUGGETS WIN 1️⃣st NBA TITLE)
- Thread starter Infamous114
- Start date
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Gabe
Herro
Duncan
Caleb
Highsmith
yeah unless it's already known and report led, this ain't it. Even about his performance is off because he had 28 3 games ago. He basically neutralized Muarry, had 8 pts in the 4th, 9 assists and was the 2nd leading scorer. Also didn't need to dominate and still is dealing with that ankle probably. He didn't force most shoots and drew in the coverage to get assist or the hockey assits for 3s. He can be more aggressive for sure but he turns it on when they really need it.
At this point, I think momemtum is neutral for both teams and the pressure has mounted for both teams. It's honestly incredible what the HEAT has done this postseason. Obviously everyone knows they limbed and hobbled into the playoffs but what ppl don't realize is that they were LITERALLY ranked bottom 3 to 5 in every major offensive category in the reg season with the exception of FT%
PPG - dead last 30th
Pace - 29th
FG% - 26th
3pt% - 27th
Rebs - 27th
Asst - 25th
Off. Rtg - 25th
FT % - 2nd
Like HOLY SHIT, those are lottery team numbers and somehow they are in the NBA FINALS, incredible!!!
AND ON TOP OF THAT, they lost their 2nd best player and best shooter in the 1st rd lol, it's nuts! 7 undrafted players too
That being said,
Keys for Miami:
1. TAKE AND MAKE 3PTS :
The biggest and #1 key for Miami is keep shooting lights OUT from 3pt. Somewhere between 39% and 45% would have them in good shape to close out games. This could be their downfall as well too like in Game 1. MIA shoots regularly under 35% and game 1, they shot even worse than that at 33%. This is the only win they win this series in my opinion.
2. FORCE DEN TO PLAY AT THEIR PACE; LIMIT DEN'S SCORING WELL BELOW THEIR SEASON/PLAYOFF AVG:
Make DEN play at MIA's pace and keep them under 103 - 109pts. Both teams play at a pretty slow, controlled pace but MIA is a tad bit slower. If they keep DEN below their scoring avg, things get really interesting.
3. CAN'T WIN AS JIMMY AS YOUR BEST PLAYER; BAM HAS TO KEEP PLAYING AT HIGH-LEVEL:
Bam has to continue to play at a high-level, Jimmy doesn't necessary have to huge scoring efforts but he has to continue to be their best playmaker. He's more important as a playmaker than scorer for them. Jimmy HAS NOT played well at all since Game 2 of BOS-MIA series. Shooters have to keep making big-time shots. Everyone keeps saying, Jimmy is due for a big game but i think if he does have a big game, MIA will lose. It's almost a damn if you do, damn if you don't dilemma for him. But no doubt, he has hit the wall and is exhausted.
4. DON'T PLAY HERRO BIG MINUTES:
Don't force him into lineup. Him being reintroduced cuts into other key player minutes and makes them smaller on D as well he's a liability defending even in their zoning schemes.
Keys for Denver
1. BUY-IN:
Biggest key for Denver, Malone has to get his players buy-in to stay focused and committed for 48mins. For the first time in playoffs, this was their first REAL challenge and they were undisciplined and collapsed/got comfortable with the early lead.
2. DUE FOR A GOOD GAME. PLAY LIKE THE BETTER TEAM:
Scary thing is, DEN has not played great in the FINALS yet. That said, Jokic has not had a bad game yet but he needs his team to come along for the ride. So, 2nd biggest key is they have to decide which MIA they want to defend: Jump shooting team or attack the paint team.
3. GET EASIER SHOTS:
DEN is a knack for making tough and timely shots in key stretches of the game. This is how they swept the Lakers. DEN also has an EVEN BIGGER KNACK for scoring and getting very easy buckets. Jokic makes them so dynamic and gets all of his teammates effortless, wide open looks, cuts, and layups. It's a reason DEN is #1 in FG% and 2nd in AST. However, MIA took many of their easy shots away in the 2nd half and DEN had to make tough shots to comeback in the 4th, the last shot was the toughest to make by Murray.
3rd
4. . Malone has to find a counter for LOVE:
To me, he was the unsung hero despite playing 22mins. He made them bigger, he snagged 10 rebs vs. Jokic 11 in 40+ mins, and he spaced the floor as a threat. This disallows Jokic from camping in the paint.
CONCLUSION:
Naturally HEAT has a way bigger laundry list of keys than DENVER. DEN is the better, bigger, and more complete team. But this has been the case for all the teams HEAT has faced outside the KNICKS haha. I strongly feel DEN has it in 6 but they have to be the better team in the series, all game, and every game. MIA ready to die on their shield to win. MIA has their work cut out BUT at this point, anything is possible and the jury is out on who has the most pressure and most momemtum. We'll find out Game 3.
Miamis matchup zone was giving Denver fits. Continuing to mix their coverages is the key, they gotta stay ahead of Denvers counters. If they can get Herro to play in zone looks that might also be a way to keep on the floor, his floor spacing on the other end could tilt the series.
Stay home on the shooters when Joker has the ball, particularly Murray obviously. Let Porter shoot over closeouts, since he won't turn down shots you can bait him into enough bad ones. And make Joker work on offense and defense and hope he fades somewhat, which he hasn't done yet, but he is prone to do previously.
Stay home on the shooters when Joker has the ball, particularly Murray obviously. Let Porter shoot over closeouts, since he won't turn down shots you can bait him into enough bad ones. And make Joker work on offense and defense and hope he fades somewhat, which he hasn't done yet, but he is prone to do previously.
Anthony Carter and Carlos Arroyo as Heat>>>>>
I love this guy
Makes you realize how bad it was in Cleveland for him to have the bad moments he had and for you to actually see/hear about it
I expect Denver to come out with everything tomorrow with the way Malone questioned their effort (Lol honestly don't think it's an effort issue when the same shots were available in Game 1, its more exploiting certain matchups and shots going in)
We need to keep picking on Jokic in some of our actions
We need to keep picking on Jokic in some of our actions
