Nuggets On The Verge!!!

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of a historic first-ever NBA title. Thanks to a dominating performance from a 2-time MVP in Nikola Jokic; an under-appreciated, under-the-radar, should-have-been All-Star in Jamal Murray, and a cast of support elements who took the cudgels for the team when their Batman and Robin dynamic duo of Jokic and Murray were conspicuously absent in the stat charts.

Jokic delivered another insane performance in Game 3, which featured a mesmerizing ’32 points-21 rebounds-10 assists’ triple double that totally mystified the Miami Heat defense. After that, I had prepared my next article to be entitled: “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Nikola?”, taking off from a 60s musical hit from the movie “The Sound of Music”.

However, Game 4 saw the emergence of the ‘Alfreds’, the next wave of fighters after their venerable Batman and Robin dynamic duo were kept in check. Temporarily. With still 9-plus minutes left in the last quarter, Nikola was subbed after committing his 5th foul. This was what the Heat had been praying for. Suddenly, Jamal became the target of a furious double – and at times, a triple – team. Jamal, however, coolly navigated through the pressure, providing timely passes to open teammates to keep the Heat at bay. If Christian Braun was the surprise package that tilted Game 3 in favor of the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown Jr were the shock-troopers whose gutsy conversions diffused the Heat’s 4th quarter uprising in Game 4.

The Heat failed miserably to capitalize on the absence of Nikola. It was their golden opportunity right there, and they blew it. Gordon and Brown were the golden nuggets that saved the day, proclaiming to the world that this Denver iteration was not just a two-man show after all. This was no longer just the Jokic-Murray dynamic duo, this was the whole ‘band of brothers’ ensemble that goes next-man-up when the frontliners falter.

But despite Denver taking a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead, all is not lost for Miami. The Heat face a similar situation that they had forced on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference title bout. They will take comfort in the fact that 3-game winning streaks have been done before, the latest being the case of the very same Celtics just recently. But for the Heat to do it, they will have to address so many pain points and need a heavy dose of luck as well.

First is the Jokic-Murray 2-man game. This Jokic-Murray 2-man game is so lethal, it raised the bar on the classic John Stockton – Karl Malone pick-and-roll which used to be the golden standard before. The Jokic-Murray version has more options, as both are not just great dribblers, they are both elite passers and sharp shooters, inside and out. Addressing Denver’s 2-man game is not going to be easy. There will have to be varying coverage options to keep Jokic and Murray guessing as well.

Next is rebounding. The Nuggets are simply bigger and heftier, hence the only way the Heat can level the proverbial playing field is to rebound by committee, meaning they should all box out and all go for the rebound.

Related to that, the Heat have always tried to slow down the pace as they need to give Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo time to catch their breath. Instead of slowing down the pace, they should now try to outrun the Nuggets. They should try to win the speed contest, and not let the Nuggets dominate both the size and speed battles. What you lack in size, you should compensate with speed. But winning the speed battle will not be easy, as the Nuggets have a strong speed crew as well. But if the rotation is done quickly, with shorter time intervals, it can be done. A quicker rotation not only serves to bring in fresh troops to the firing line, it will also serve to confuse the opponents.

Kyle Lowry tried to push the ball when he took over in the 2nd quarter of Game 4. The wily Lowry was able to bring in more opportunities at closer range, although some of those opportunities were botched. If everyone is on the same page, and tries to make it a sprint contest, the Heat will stand a good chance. They’ll have open looks for their 3s, and open lanes for Bam and Jimmy.

The Heat need to be audacious with their options now. And the way to reboot the entire series is to bring in new ways, new ideas, and a tinge of wildness. The Nuggets may have the sheer size, the talent, the home crowd and all; but the Heat have the heart. And that could change the entire equation.

Cover photo courtesy of KSL News. Other pics courtesy of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, The Economic times, The Analyst, WSMN, KRQE, and Toronto Stars. For a closer look, just click on the pics.