Even with Denver leading the series with a Game 1 victory over the Eastern Conference champions from Miami, coach Michael Malone wasn’t satisfied after the game and told his team to do everything but relax because the media was already talking about the Nuggets’ dominance at the start. of the NBA Finals.
“I don’t think we played well in the first game,” the coach told the press after Saturday’s training. “I watched that tape, and they were 5 of 16 on a wide open 3. As I told our players this morning, the fact that they had 16 on a wide open 3 is problematic.
“And if you think Max Strus will go 0-for-9 again or Duncan Robinson will go 1-for-5 again, you’re wrong.”
Malone went to great lengths to tell his players to ignore the news, as he needed them to focus completely on improving their game.
The coach added, “I told our players today, don’t read the newspaper.” “Don’t listen to people on the radio and on TV saying that this series is over and that we did something, because we didn’t.”
There’s a reason Malone worried about his team’s performance, as they exploded a Heat lead in double digits during many moments of the game, and even let their opponents dream of a comeback in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets coach wants total domination during Game 2.
Through the first three quarters of the opening contest, Denver maintained a solid defensive block as Miami couldn’t hit shots. The Florida franchise shot 13 of 39 over that time frame, but finally improved their efficiency, dropping 50% of their attempts in the fourth. This is exactly what Malone wants to avoid.
Miami will be looking to improve their efficiency and force more attacks that will earn them free throws
“The offenses we just didn’t have enough of,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “I thought the free-throw variance was appropriate. We could have probably gotten another two, four or six based on a call here or a call there. But overall our offensive numbers have been lower, and that usually translates to fewer free throw attempts.”
Just as Malone noted, one of their opponents’ best stats during the first game was how they improved on their 11.6 wide open qualifier attempts with 16 of them during the first game.
Take a look at what Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley had to say during their Game 2 preview Sunday night:
Spoelstra certainly expects his team to increase their confidence in the following matches. “We’ve been through this before. It’s combustible,” the coach said of players like Max Strauss and Caleb Martin.
They’ve heard it from us. They will hear it from us. I love the looks these guys are getting. I love it when they see a couple or two or three go down; It could turn into five or six,”