Denver crushed Miami in the NBA Finals opener, 104-93. It was known that this was going to be an uphill road for the Heat, who have become the second team in the history of the league to dispute the Larry O'Brien trophy after having finished eighth in their conference. Nikola Jokic's Nuggets showed their power at home, a territory that still does not know what it is to win a basketball championship and where the team has been practically unbeatable. The Serbian star, after a modest start, closed another night with a triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Canada's Jamal Murray had 26 points and 10 assists. Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the Eastern champions, will have to make adjustments for the second game, which will be played here in Colorado on Sunday.
The NBA Finals began with a big question. What did the Heat need to do to stop Jokic? The question was cleared in the first minutes. It was clear that Miami's defense could nullify the Serbian star if he put his mind to it. The Joker, as they call him, only fired one shot in the 12 minutes of the start. He broke the zero on his personal best with a pair of free throws after a foul. And his first basket came seconds before the final quarter ran out. Despite this modest start, he closed the night with 27 points and his ninth triple-double of the playoffs. Murray and Jokic have joined a select group of players tonight who score more than 25 points in their final debut, throw at least 10 passes and get at least five boards. The other two are Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook.
Denver soon proved why they dominated the West during the season. Ball Stadium is a fortress. Today was the 50th home game of the season. They have only lost seven times. The fans are hungry ring, waiting since the team arrived in the NBA in 1976. The locals presume that this is the highest stadium in the league, as basketball is played at 1,600 meters above sea level. When Miami took the court, Denver reminded them that there is less oxygen here.
Jokic shot little during the start of the game, but showed that for many years he has adhered to the philosophy of Earving Magic Johnson's passing. He had 10 assists in the first half. In the second quarter, being almost under the basket, Jokic threw the ball to the other end of the court to find Bruce Brown, who scored a three-pointer. "Giving a pass makes two people happy. Scoring only makes one happy," Jokic said a few years ago, quoting the Lakers' legendary No. 32. After shining on another night, the European star looked relaxed. He didn't see action for nine days, which has been since they eliminated LeBron James and the Lakers. "I enjoyed it," the two-time MVP told reporters. "I was in the pool with my family, you can see I'm a little burned."
He also had fun on the court. It was Bam Adebayo who put pressure on him. At times he had the help of a teammate for a double marking, which left a rival free. Aaron Gordon was the one who took advantage of the defensive experiment ordered by Spoelstra. The center had no problem attacking the basket from the paint when he was free. He scored 14 points, all in the first two quarters. It was his best game since the 22 he scored in the elimination of the Lakers.
Denver's disciplined defensive coverage put Miami in a bind. The East had to walk a lot of ball down the line of the box to find open players who could shoot three-pointers. Shooting from outside was the Heat's most popular offensive strategy. With no ability to penetrate the area and with the urgency to quickly cut distance on the scoreboard, deep shots were the bet. In the first half they made 17 three-pointers, but only scored four (23%). Denver was most effective from long distance at 5 of 11.
Adebayo attacks the basket off the Nuggets' Aaron Gordon.Jack Dempsey (AP)
At halftime, four of Denver's eight players were in double digits. In Miami, however, only Adebayo had scored more than ten. This became the offensive engine of the Heat with a great presence in the paint and achieving 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Jimmy Butler had just 13 points in what has been his poorest crop in the playoffs. Point guard Max Strus went zero on ten shots in 21 minutes of play. Among the adjustments made by the Heat coach was giving more minutes to Kyle Lowry, an experienced veteran who was already a champion with Toronto. This one managed to give more exits and revolutionize the attack. Lowry scored eleven points on the night.
The distance between the locals and their rivals was growing fourth by fourth. The lead in the first was only nine points. At halftime there were 17. It stretched to 21 at the close of the third period. In the last, the Nuggets appeared to take their foot off the gas, allowing Miami to cut the deficit thanks to a 10-0 run and hitting six three-pointers. Help came from an unexpected player. Haywood Highsmith came off the bench and scored 12 points in the final minutes. The Heat managed to close the gap to ten points, but it seemed to be a concession from the locals.
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