This important message was relayed by Boston, courtesy of Grant Williams.īig step for the undrafteds. The best advice for Gordon? Refrain from any urge to trash talk Butler. Of course, what Butler lacks in distance shooting is made up for in mid-range and sheer relentlessness. Also, Butler doesn’t shoot 3-pointers very often, which actually helps Gordon as he won’t need to stretch his defensive range. In each series, he has been at a height disadvantage (facing 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns in the first round and Durant and LeBron James in successive rounds), yet he did reasonably well against them all. Gordon is Denver’s ace defensive player and in this instance he brings size (6-foot-8) and a decent degree of fast twitch to the job. More than likely, Denver will turn once again to Gordon for this tricky assignment, and for good reason. Butler is too strong for most guards to handle and too quick for most forwards. He’s the obvious player of great concern, but might be a tough matchup. The Nuggets are in a weird spot with Butler. Denver will be its biggest test yet - literally.Īaron Gordon vs. Miami has somehow found a way to win in every round so far. Historic and memorable? That’ll be decided by Jokic and Butler. In its own way, this series should be entertaining and creative. So it’s Nuggets-Heat, a peculiar matchup of contrasting styles and histories and individual stars. Of course, that’s 19 more Finals trips than the Nuggets made in their entire existence, until now. That means, since 1972, when he first made it to the Finals (as a reserve player on the Lakers and before it was actually called the NBA Finals) until now, Riley has made an appearance roughly once every 2 1/2 years on average. As a player, assistant coach, coach and executive, Riley has reached the NBA Finals 19 times. While we ponder that, let’s pause and salute 78-year-old Heat bossman Pat Riley for yet another trip to the finish line. In the process of this best-of-seven series, important questions will be asked and answered.Īre there more triple-doubles coming from Jokic? Can Bam Adebayo do much, or anything, to prevent them? Does the furnace inside Butler keep raging enough for him to elevate his game even higher? Will Miami see a return at some point from Tyler Herro, out since the first game of the playoffs with a hand injury but cleared to resume basketball activities in advance of the Finals? Will Denver’s shooting efficiency, 49% from the floor and 38% from deep in the 2023 playoffs, stay scorching and test Miami’s smart defense? There’s beauty to behold in the chase for the first championship, especially because there’s no guarantee either player will get this close again. What’s wonderful about Nuggets-Heat is that either Nikola Jokic or Jimmy Butler will leave with a ring. Maybe it’s not the Finals matchup some folks wanted, but it could become the Finals matchup we deserve. Best of all those matchups will bring plenty of confidence because of the experiences. Denver had to cope with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the Western Conference semifinals, then LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the West crown.Īnd Miami? After surviving the Play-In (where Miami actually trailed the Chicago Bulls late in the fourth quarter), the Heat chopped down a pair of sequoias in the Bucks and Celtics, stunning the league each time. That’s because the Nuggets and Heat just went through the fire. And based on what we’ve seen from these two teams, both belong on the June stage. In the NBA Finals, it’s all about shot-making, defensive stands and the courage needed to become a champion. None of that really matters anymore, not this deep into the postseason. What a contrast, at least according to the standings, is this matchup of Nuggets vs. an AT&T Play-In Tournament winner for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Shaq, Charles, Kenny and EJ share their thoughts on the Nuggets-Heat matchup in the 2023 NBA Finals.
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