The Heat is back in the game. With a newfound skill, almost 50% behind the arc, and a fierce defense, which only folded under the weight of Nikola Jokic, vainly ultra-dominant with 41 points, Miami tied it by winning in Denver (111-108) the second game of the NBA Finals Sunday.
It is well known, the Heat lacks neither pride, nor combativeness, nor breath. And just because the Nuggets receive at Mile High City, so nicknamed because it rises to one mile (1,609 m) above sea level, does not mean that it was going to prevent Erik Spoelstra's team from showing its best face to regain the advantage of the floor.
And, to situate the performance, Miami, which had not won in Colorado since 2016, inflicted Denver its first home loss in these playoffs.
Denver coach up against his players
"This one we went to get it with the guts!" exclaimed at the microphone of NBA TV Bam Adebayo, who knows what it takes as intensity to win this type of games so important, he who was bruised by the failure on the last step, three years earlier against the Lakers of LeBron James, in the anti-Covid bubble of Orlando.
Denver coach Michael Malone fumed after his players: "Let's talk about effort. We had guys on the field who felt sorry for themselves because they didn't make their shots. It's not the preseason, it's not the regular season. It's the NBA Finals! It really puzzles me, it's disappointing. »
If there is one player to spare on the Nuggets side, it is Nikola Jokic. At the top of his game, also overpowered inside (16/28 shooting, 11 rbds), he responded, alone, to the attack salvos of the Heat, who quickly led 21-10.
Nikola Jokic (41 pts, 8 REB) author of a Game 2 XXL
68 points in his first two games 😳
Denver will look to take a 2-1 lead in Game 3, appointment on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday on beIN SPORTS 🍿 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/PiAjODU59s
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) June 5, 2023
The Serbian giant was then overwhelming in the third quarter, scoring 18 points including this "coast-to-coast", this crazy race of his racket to the opposing circle, inheriting "MVP! MVP! MVP! Shouted from the stands.
Jokic is already twice (2021 and 2022), in the regular season. But of a final, not yet, and if he is well on his way to be, after his triple-double of the first game, a first title for the Nuggets can only rest on his scoring.
As delicious as they were sometimes, like this ball deflected by one hand for Aaron Gordon's back dunk (12 pts), his passes were rarer, four in number. However, when it is less than six, Denver has a record of three wins and eight losses this season. "There were a lot of miscommunication and misunderstandings," he said.
On the Miami side, it was about staying true to its principles of play and keeping confidence. So, as their coach Erik Spoelstra had told them the day before - "Take the shots and catch fire! The Floridians were able to find the target behind the arc by making 17 of their 35 attempts, the same place they had sinned three nights earlier (33%).
Another notable change is free throws: 18 scored out of 20 obtained, much more than 2/2 of the first game. Much more aggressive, therefore, the Heat nevertheless suffered a big storm at the beginning of the second quarter, when the Nuggets inflicted a 21-6, to count up to 15 units of advantage. But, without panicking, the Floridians made the round back and knew how to come back to height, then carried by Bam Adebayo, tireless warrior (21 pts, 9 rbds).
A shot at the buzzer missed by the Nuggets
And to answer, blow for blow, as in a boxing fight, to the K.O. sought by Jokic, Miami was a formidable efficiency in the last quarter, won 36-25, with Duncan Robinson author of his 10 points at 100% to start it, and Jimmy Butler to complete this teamwork by scoring 8 of his 21 points (9 assists).
Miami still trembled until the end, when Jamal Murray, long under the defensive snuff, revolted in the money-time, chaining 10 of his 18 points (10 assists). But his shot at the buzzer failed to snatch overtime.