History is against Heat following Game 3 loss to Nuggets
Wednesday's Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets could be the death knell for the Miami Heat, as historically, they are all but doomed.
In the history of the NBA Finals, the team that wins Game 3 of a series tied 1-1 has gone on to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy 80 percent of the time.
While history may not be on the Heat's side, the feat to overcome the deficit isn't impossible. In fact, in last year's Finals, the Boston Celtics sneaked away with a six-point win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 but ultimately lost the series in six games.
After a remarkable ride to the Finals as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed, the Heat have turned their nose up at history while writing their own throughout the postseason. So, there's no reason to believe they can't buck yet another trend that's not in their favor.
However, if the Heat are to come back and win the series, they'll have to avoid a lackluster second half similar to Game 3's. Following a tight first half, Denver turned the tides on the Heat after halftime. The Nuggets built their first double-digit lead with just under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter and never looked back, winning 109-94.
The dynamic duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the way for the Nuggets, becoming the first pair of teammates to post triple-doubles in Finals history. They combined for 66 of Denver's 109 points, adding 31 boards and 20 assists. In comparison, the Heat's starters equaled Jokic and Murray with 66 points but came up short in rebounds (25) and assists (12).
Jimmy Butler was the Heat's leading scorer, recording 28 points. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo had 22 points and a team-high 17 boards in the loss.
Although the hill to climb just got a little more challenging, Miami will look to bounce back and even the series at two games apiece when they host the Nuggets for Game 4 Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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