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Which NBA mascot can you beat? We can not everyone Choose the Boston Celtics Leprechaun.
Denver is on the cusp of the title
Can Miami extend the NBA Finals?
Miami seemed to find its troubles against Denver en route to winning Game 2. The Heat tied the Finals, stole home court advantage, made/made good shots and used their waste zone against the Nuggets at inopportune times. Miami came home and showed great fighting in the first half of Game 3.
since then? It doesn’t matter what Miami does on defense trying to slow down Denver’s historic offense. Denver has also flipped a switch defensively. The Nuggets finished games 3-4 with an amazing championship-level defense. That stretch leaves them 48 minutes into their first-ever NBA championship.
This also illustrates the dangerous situation Miami currently finds itself in. We’ve seen 36 teams in NBA Finals history trail 3-1. Only one achieved the improbable: the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, which featured Kevin Love. Unfortunately, Miami’s abilities didn’t seem to match those of the Cavs, led by LeBron and their 107 points per game completing that comeback. In their three wins in the series, the Nuggets locked down the Heat’s offense well, allowing just 94.0 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting.
first to four. pic.twitter.com/QMZSnn6bO6
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 11, 2023
It’s all about what happens between these four lines. That’s it. pic.twitter.com/pTHJMFWgBt
– Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 11, 2023
In Game 4, despite Nikola Jokic and Jamaal Murray having bad shooting nights, the Heat were burned by Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown while scoring less than 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in two months.
Forget about winning the series – here’s what Miami needs to do to avoid elimination and extend its season with another home game in Miami:
- Attack the basket: There was play in the first minute of Game 4 as Bam Adebayo grabbed the ball in transition, went straight to the back at Joki and scored on the edge. This did not happen again until the stale bucket in the fourth. Playing with power and athleticism, Adebayo and Jimmy Butler must play on the edge every match.
- dead 3s: They averaged 30 attempts on open 3-point shots in Games 1 and 2. They were outstanding in Game 2 after opening the finals with a cool Game 1. Their total attempts dropped to 25 in Game 3 before dropping to 19 in Game 4. You must create heat and cash in good looks.
- Pray vs Denver 3s: Denver was the league’s fourth-best three-point shooter in the regular season. In Games 1-3, the Nuggets shot just 32.8 percent from depth before posting a 50-percent clip on 28 attempts in Game 4. Miami must pray Denver’s 3-point tidal wave doesn’t show up.
Before some free agent talk, let’s cut the week short with a Shams update.
The latest from Shams
With the NBA Finals winding down, many of the league’s eyes have turned toward next week’s NBA Draft.
One possibility whose stock appears to be rising is Chris Livingston of Kentucky. Sources recently told me that Livingston had canceled all seven of his remaining pre-draft workouts, leading to the belief that the 6-foot-6 winger has a team commitment.
Livingston was 68th overall in Sam Vesini’s most recent big plate draft in early May, and the 19-year-old averaged 6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in his only year at Kentucky. We’ll see next Thursday if his name is heard in draft night.
Back to you, Zack.
$BORD Chairman
Hollinger’s free agent hierarchy
Last week, our very own John Hollinger revealed his $2023 BORD rankings for free agent values. Using several analyses, John’s method predicts the value a player can deliver in the upcoming season.
First of all, I was legitimately shocked at who was No. 1 on the list, simply because I don’t expect this player to score many minutes. Because you should have read the article, i wont Give anything here, but the player’s name rhymes with Shmyrie Shmirving.
I also wanted to compare two ratings one by one, so let’s deal with them:
$BORD FIRST FIGHT: Kristaps Porzingis vs. Draymond Green
Both are expected to decline their player options and go into free agency this summer. But it’s interesting to see Porziis’ value is much higher than Green’s. Some of this is clearly down to scoring and shooting, as Porziņģis is a scoring weapon and Green simply isn’t. But is that enough to put KP seven points higher and $16 million more than Green?
I understand that Green’s age (33) makes it harder to justify a long-term deal compared to Porziņģis (27), But there is no part of me that would prefer the value of Porziis 2023-24 to that of Green.
Board Dollar Battle Two: Josh Hart vs. D’Angelo Russell
Hart is one place and about $1.8 million higher than Russell in the BORD$ rating, which shocks me. I don’t even object. Russell is a flashier name with a flashier game, but his play hasn’t been as inspiring since the All-Star season in 2018-19. He recently had a nice change of scenery with the Lakers but hasn’t been completely reliable going into the postseason.
Hart doesn’t have sensational numbers, and it’s hard to quantify her worth at times. But he makes the little plays that help you win matches. I can’t imagine Hart earning nearly two million more salary than Russell, But he could buy a lot more formula if he did.
There’s a lot of good information in this article from John, who will be unveiling topical rankings throughout the week. Today, the point guard speaks.
mascot craze
Connor hits Bernie
During Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Heat let a trash can in a leisure suit — aka Conor McGregor — squirt him a pain-relieving spray. McGregor was supposed to have a little fight with Bernie, Heat’s mascot, and pretend to knock him down. At the very least, he could have gently knocked him to the ground.
Conor McGregor just fired Bernie pic.twitter.com/w1IdovFhrX
– The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (LeBatardShow) June 10, 2023
instead of, McGregor actually cold-cocked Bernie hit him twice. According to Sam Amick, the man inside the mascot costume was taken to the emergency room and given painkillers. Apparently, this spray is about Just as effective as Russell Wilson’s Concussion Water.
Sam reports that Bernie will be good to go in Game 6 if that happens. I’m no doctor, but I think he’ll get plenty of time between Game 4 and the next Heat game in October.
Bounce passes
Need a live blog for Game 5 coverage? We’ve got you covered!
The No Dunks crew previews Game 5 and tours the NBA.
John Hollinger doesn’t want us to forget how good Butler was.
The Raptors hired Darko Rajakovic to be their next head coach.
Aaron Gordon finally had his signature moment and put the Nuggets on the verge of a title shot.
Rob Mahoney says the Heat don’t have an answer to the problems Gordon poses.
Manny Navarro says it’s time for Pat Riley to go into the trade for Damian Lillard
(top photo: Miami Herald / Getty Images)