Apologies in advance, as I don’t mean to jinx what is looking to be the Denver Nuggets first championship in franchise history.
I just can’t help but believe what I already had a hunch about going into this Nuggets-Heat Finals matchup…
For one, there are mismatches all over the floor favoring Denver. Let’s start by just acknowledging the pure size difference of these two teams.
This was most evident at the beginning of the game.
Here’s a question I don’t believe anyone has an answer for:
Who on the Heat is capable of slowing down Aaron Gordon?
AG looks like Zion Williamson in high school out there.
AG in the first quarter was pure dominance. These guys are trying to put a 6’5″ 205 pound Caleb Martin/Max Strus on a 6’8″ 220 pound Aaron Gordon…
Yeah good luck with that.
Second question:
Who on the Heat is capable of guarding Michael Porter Jr.?
MPJ had a below average shooting game for his standards in Game 1, as he was only 2-11 from 3, but he affected the game in other ways.
MPJ’s growth as a basketball player isn’t talked about nearly enough (unless you read Lootsports.com).
But when MPJ does feel good about his shot in this series, I ask again, who the hell on Miami is guarding him? Bam Adebayo is the Heat’s biggest player at 6’9″, and not only is he preoccupied with a guy you might have heard of named Jokic, Bam is still two inches shorter than Porter Jr…
Think about this for a second:
The Nuggets shot only 29% from 3, scored only 104 points (their second lowest output of the playoffs), and they were beating the Heat by double digits for essentially the entire game.
I respect the hell out of the Heat, I really do. What they’ve done these playoffs is nothing short of incredible.
So I’m not quite ready to pull a Vince Carter and say this series is over…
But I can’t help but to ask; What adjustments can the Heat make that will realistically change this series?
Employ their infamous zone that stifled the Celtics?
Once again, good luck with that…
So listen, Jimmy Butler isn’t going to only score 13 points every game (even if he does have one of the best players to match up against him in the NBA in Aaron Gordon). And Caleb Martin isn’t going to go 1-7 and only score 3 points/game.
The Heat will be better than what they showed in Game 1.
But so will the Nuggets…
Oh and this would probably be a good time to mention that I’m going to Game 5 and have an enormous rooting interest in that being the closeout game. But that’s just semantics…
Anyways…
Nuggs in 5.
-MustacheMan
