Three keys for Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have stormed through the NBA playoffs. They've gone 12-3 overall and are undefeated at home (8-0). Now they'll face the upstart Miami Heat in what could be their toughest test of the playoffs. Here are three keys to the Nuggets taking home their first-ever title.
1. Take care of the ball
Denver has done a good job of taking care of the ball in the playoffs, yielding only 11.4 turnovers per game. Meanwhile, Miami has forced 13.8 turnovers per game, averaging 19.3 points off those miscues.
If Denver can take care of the ball, it can deny Miami easy buckets. For a Heat team that has often bogged down in half court offense, those transition points are huge. Jokic has such a large role in the offense that he's always going to turn the ball over a few times, so it's primarily Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon who have to be careful against the ball hawking Heat.
Speaking of transition, the more Jokic can push the ball after made baskets, the better. Miami is good at getting back on defense, but coach Eric Spoelstra likes to call out defenses late. The quicker the Nuggets can get the ball into the front court, the more Denver can stymie the Heat's zones and full court pressures.
2. Jamal Murray needs to have a short memory
Murray is an electric scorer, going for 30+ points in seven of 15 playoff games. He had a 23-point fourth quarter against the Lakers, the fourth time he's scored 20+ points in the final quarter in his playoff career.
Murray's explosion came after he started the game 5-17. But like Jimmy Butler on the other side, Murray's misses don't seem to affect his self-confidence. (Butler was 3-18 in Game 6 of the Heat's series against Boston before scoring 13 points in the final four minutes). As Mike Malone told reporters about Murray, "He just has to see one go in. That's all he needs. And after that, he's shooting into a hula hoop."
Denver may need a confident Murray late. Ted Lasso calls it a "goldfish" memory, although goldfish actually have good memories. All it means is that Murray needs to continue to shrug off his misses, because when he heats up, he's virtually unstoppable.
3. Don't foul Jimmy Butler
One way Miami can combat its apparent talent deficit against the Nuggets is to lean on Butler's uncanny ability to draw fouls. He's taking a stunning 9.1 free throws per game in the playoffs, dwarfing Jokic's 6.8 per game. And Jokic gets hit a lot - just look at his arms in the second half.
Butler's foul shots are valuable in different ways for the Heat. First, it's easy points. Free throws have accounted for 26 percent of Butler's points in the playoffs. The fouls also slow down the pace of the game. The Heat played at the league's second-slowest pace this year, so they prefer getting the game in the mud, so to speak.
It's also a way to get some of the Nuggets' excellent starting five off the floor. Beyond Bruce Brown, Coach Michael Malone hasn't trusted his bench options, so any minutes from Jeff Green and Christian Braun are a positive for Miami.
It took Boston four games to stop going for Butler's shot fakes - and then they still fouled him three times down the stretch of Game 6. If they can keep Butler off the line, the Nuggets are one step closer to their first championship.
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