DENVER — After pulling off an impressive win to take a 1-0 lead in the 2023 NBA Finals, Nuggets coach Michael Malone paid high praise for his team’s performance when he met with reporters Saturday.
“I don’t think we played well in the first game,” he said.
Yes. Let’s try that again.
After a remarkable victory to take a 1-0 lead in the 2023 NBA Finals, Nuggets coach Michael Malone echoed The message he sent to his players in the locker room at Ball Arena Thursday night.
“I told our players today: Don’t read the paper, don’t listen to people on the radio and TV saying this series is over and we’ve done something,” said Malone. “Because we didn’t do anything.”
In fairness, Malone an act You compliment multiple aspects of his team during the Q&A: backup corps Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Christian Brown, the unparalleled chemistry between Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in a two-man game, Jokic’s “playless defense”, and so on. But studying the film revealed enough room for improvement to put off planning the show’s route a little longer.
“I thought our pick defense was weak. I thought we had “shrink the floor” Mallon said. They got 11 offensive rebounds. Bam [Adebayo] four. Jimmy [Butler] He had three. So there are a lot of areas that we can clean up.”
Understandably, Malone came to the weekend determined to make sure his players don’t suddenly start believing the hype. (Although we do appreciate Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon Ongoing support to stay up to date with the news And he stays abreast of the world around him.) As dominant as Joki, as lethal as Murray, as nearly as impressive as the Nuggets is as the youngest Heat, as impressive as Denver who played for three quarters in the game going 1-84 points on 55.9% shooting, incendiary 121.7 offensive rating – You have to play four in this level.
“We play some possessions great, some possessions we didn’t play well,” said Jokic. “We played well in some quarters. I think this is basketball. That’s why it’s a living thing. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. Yes, of course, we’ll be better, but we’ll make it 1-0.”
As the big guy says, winning is the thing. He didn’t escape Malone’s notice, though, as Game 1 was still a three-possession contest with 2:34 to go despite Miami’s dreadful shooting performance.
“I saw that tape, and they were 5 of 16 on wide open triads,” he said. “As I told our players this morning, the fact that they Owns 16 triple wide open problem. And if you think Max Strus will go 0 for 9 again, or Duncan Robinson will go 1 for 5 again, you’re wrong.”
This, really, is the boss raison d’être: To bypass the silver lining of the last win, find the gray cloud that explains why you lost, return to the laboratory, and renew the eternal search for sunlight. Millers like Malone and Heat coach Eric Spoelstra have spent their lives obsessing over the minutiae, sweating every detail, and chasing perfection in a game with the best offense. Missed half of their shots And the best defenses surrender 110 points per night. They will never reach it. If you get close enough, they give you a big golden trophy.
“The reason I told our players I’m excited this morning is because we won the first game and we didn’t play well, and there are a lot of things we can do better,” said Malone.
Was it fresh in mind for Nuggets? The fourth quarter, which Denver won 30-20, saw the Heat cut a 24-point deficit to just nine points. The Nuggets shot just 7-for-20 from the floor and missed all eight of their 3-point attempts as Miami’s defense—which they split in the first half—seemed to stifle and halt their once-free-flowing offense. .
“There was definitely a period in that game where we were just shooting deep, contested three-pointers,” said Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who missed nine of 11 three-point attempts in Game One. truly Gokic was stunned). “I don’t think we’ve really seen an area the way they do it, so it’s hard to make adjustments in the middle of a game when you don’t really know what’s going on.”
However, a look at the film left the Nuggets feeling like their assault operation on that property was still intact, even if it didn’t produce the desired results.
“I know Miami missed a lot of shots, but we missed some shots from point to point,” Murray said. “When they went into the zone, Jock missed a 15-foot open. I missed a 10-foot open. Mike missed a corner wide open three. I missed a catch and shot on the wing that was wide open. I think there were a couple more. But we got the look we needed.” We just didn’t knock them down. If we knock them down, I think they’ll start to unpack the area a little bit and get back to the guy.”
That would be a good thing, considering Denver scored more than 1.2 points per possession against a man-to-man defense in the playoffs, according to Second Spectrum — a mark that would have led the league during the regular season. But Malone, a senior defense coach at heart, had an alternate playing field for how the Nuggets could better neutralize the zone in Game 2.
“The reason their district was so effective in that last quarter is because we didn’t get any stops,” said Malone. “They shot at 60%, which allowed them to set up every possession in their area, it seems.”
The Heat began to get back in the game by exploiting Denver’s run-and-roll coverage, with Kyle Lowry tapping in a Murray flat-footed pass to get Gabe Vincent up in the game. 3-pointer capture and capture In the corner before bending behind Adebayo screens to sink a Husband Three times he pulled out by himself. The Nuggets modified, bringing the adults higher on the floor and closer to screen level, opening the door for Adebayo to prepare He plays In space—something he did all night. He scored 26 points on 13-for-25 shooting with five assists.
“It was just an amazing opportunity for me,” said Adebayo. “I feel like all of those shots were in my wheelhouse, and I’ve been taking them all season.”
But while Malone would prefer not to give up all those ingredients to anyone in a Heat uniform, the diet didn’t seem to bother him too much.
“We didn’t go in to say, ‘We’re going to get Bam Adebayo to beat us,’” he said. “We came with full respect for Bam Adebayo. But if you’re going to score 26 points on 25 shots, that’s something we’re willing to live with.”
For their part, The Heat knows they need to give the Nuggets something I can not Live with in Game 2. Ex: More paint attacks from Butler, who scored just 13 points on 14 shots, with only seven of those attempts en route.
“I think I have to do a better job of getting the ball, claiming the ball, and being more aggressive,” said Butler. “Just that, and that will change when the second game comes around. … I think I have to be more aggressive to press the edge. I think that makes everyone’s job a lot easier. [My teammates] I definitely follow suit when I’m aggressive on both sides of the ball. So I’ve got to be the one to go out and start it the right way, which I’m going to do, and we’ll see where we end up.”
There’s a big difference between going back to Miami 2-0 and being tied 1-1, which is why Malone and the Nuggets expect Butler and the rest of the Heat to dramatically increase their level of strength and aggression on Sunday. If the Nuggets don’t match up, all that post-Game 1 positivity will fade horribly quickly.
“You can’t be complacent on this team. You can’t be so savvy,” Gordon said. “You can’t sleep on this team. This team has no quits. They will continue to fight throughout the game. You have to understand that about this team. You can’t take your foot off the gas with these guys.”
It seems Malone’s message got here loud and clear.
“The first round, the finals, it’s nothing until you win it, right?” Murray said. “We haven’t won it yet.”
Getting Game 2 on Sunday will get them halfway through. They have a golden opportunity for the Nuggets. Heat’s job is to force them to squander it.
“Here we are,” said Nuggets guard Kentavius Caldwell Pope. “Do not touch the ball at the 1-yard line.”