Oh no, the Heat are going to blow this, aren't they? 
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Sports NBA Thread: 2022-2023 Season
- Thread starter Celticpride
- Start date
- Status
Teams down 3-0 are 0-150 so this will be a firstOh no, the Heat are going to blow this, aren't they?
A part of my spirit inside of me keeps saying if the 3-0 record were to ever be broken, for some reason, this series would be the series for it to happen.
someone on espn said this would be the game of the playoffs so far, and i happen to agree.
celtics @ the heat, if heat don't win it they most likely will lose game 7 just because of momentum and playing away at boston.
this literally reminds me of this game but with the roles reversed lmao
celtics @ the heat, if heat don't win it they most likely will lose game 7 just because of momentum and playing away at boston.
this literally reminds me of this game but with the roles reversed lmao
This is one of the craziest games in the history of the league.
Wow.
unfortunately this aged like fine wine. tatum injury sucks but if they had taken care of business in the first place against this team we wouldn't have been in this situation. Derrick and Rob goated, love those guys. this loss should definitely should be the end of this era of the team though
ggs miami, caleb was goated. heat are just so depleted it seems like a nuggets in 5 to me (accounting for the jimmy 50 piece) but this team has continually played significantly above their talent level so who knows.
What a game! Heat avoid embarrassment and still no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit!
Derrick White will haunt my nightmares for years to come.
Derrick White will haunt my nightmares for years to come.
since i got time ill bring up my predictions and highlights for the nba finals:
nuggets vs heat
im so excited for this matchup, first the heat are such a gritty team with a lot of defense, I think bam will play jokic very well because bam moves like a pg down the floor so a lot of jokics movements will feel natural from the defensive end when it comes to bam. i think murray needs to have a big series, i think jokic will be dominant but tbh not as dominant as the lakers series. i think porter jr needs to finally step it up and consistently contribute 20 points the whole series consistently. i think AG and Bruce Brown need to step it up certain nights, I think if the nuggets bench continues to be consistent it might be a short series. if herro is actually coming back it can be quite interesting but honestly i think the nuggets are overall similar to the san antonio spurs of 2013-2014, just beautiful basketball being played.
i think in order for the heat to have any chance, caleb martin needs to continue how great he's been playing. i think jimmy regardless will have a big series, kcp will guard him well but jimmys post game will shine. i think duncan robinson needs to be getting a lot of minutes to be honest, the threes are going to be key for miami to pull up an upset.
ultimately im going with nuggets in 6
nuggets vs heat
im so excited for this matchup, first the heat are such a gritty team with a lot of defense, I think bam will play jokic very well because bam moves like a pg down the floor so a lot of jokics movements will feel natural from the defensive end when it comes to bam. i think murray needs to have a big series, i think jokic will be dominant but tbh not as dominant as the lakers series. i think porter jr needs to finally step it up and consistently contribute 20 points the whole series consistently. i think AG and Bruce Brown need to step it up certain nights, I think if the nuggets bench continues to be consistent it might be a short series. if herro is actually coming back it can be quite interesting but honestly i think the nuggets are overall similar to the san antonio spurs of 2013-2014, just beautiful basketball being played.
i think in order for the heat to have any chance, caleb martin needs to continue how great he's been playing. i think jimmy regardless will have a big series, kcp will guard him well but jimmys post game will shine. i think duncan robinson needs to be getting a lot of minutes to be honest, the threes are going to be key for miami to pull up an upset.
ultimately im going with nuggets in 6
(1) Denver Nuggets versus (8) Miami Heat
“These are lessons that we’re going to pass on to our children about perseverance. Things don’t go your way; we just keep forging ahead and suffer and suffer and suffer until you get what you want.” – Erik Spoelstra
“This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done – which is the way it should be.” – Michael Malone
This year’s NBA Finals contains probably the two most diametrically opposed teams we’ll ever see come this far. Denver got here through the versatility of their offense and how unstoppable they’ve been on that end. Jokic being able to score, rebound and pass very well simultaneously got them past the best defense in the western conference. Their frontline has size, their backcourt has speed and shooting, and their overall offensive movement combined with Jokic’s passing is a sight to see.
Miami is a bit more of an enigma. They’ve been the hardest team to predict the last couple of years primarily because their best strengths aren’t tied to statistics. Defense is of course how they primarily got here, as their offense has slowly catered off throughout the playoffs. They play significantly better than their regular season stats, have one of the best coaching strategists in the game today, and one physically dominant player who can lead an offense and attack mismatches. Their organization is known for a culture of conformity and accountability, so their players after Butler and Adebayo beat you to death by a thousand-cuts. While Butler/Adebayo handle primary defensive schemes, the rest of the roster buys in and play so collectively together that they always execute and get stops just a little bit more than the other team.
What both teams do share, however, is that they play incredibly well collectively; they just happen to do so at opposite ends of the floor. It will be a series of which type of team basketball is more likely to flourish: the best offensive shooting and passing we’ve seen since the Spurs or the best defensive frontline, coaching, and absolute dogs on a roster since the 04 Pistons?
Starting with the intangibles, Denver has all of them. They’ve had more time to rest and game plan while Miami played a game every other day in a seven-game series. Their offense teetering off throughout the playoffs is indicative of possible fatigue, and with Denver’s altitude, it’s a factor when Denver has homecourt advantage. The only real intangible Miami has is Spoelstra’s coaching, which is somewhat diluted when Miami couldn’t end their eastern conference finals series soon enough to game plan. It may not ultimately matter, but Denver certainly comes in these finals with more inherent advantages.
If I could only to ask myself one question to guess the outcome of the series, it’s if Miami can stop Denver’s offense. Los Angeles had more size and rebounding than Miami and got swept. Adebayo is the likely candidate to get the most minutes on Jokic, and I certainly don’t expect that to be a wash. Adebayo certainly has more speed and is among the best in transition defense, but his size will be a factor when it comes to defending Jokic individually, rebounding against him, and affecting his passing angles. I have my doubts in Miami’s ability to successfully defend Jokic when Adebayo is their tallest player, so it will require more of a collective effort. Love is a major x-factor mostly because he will be needed this series since he’s known for his rebounding and has shown defensive chops historically in the playoffs. The size advantage that Denver has over Miami will likely be an on-going series issue especially if Miami ever decides to go small. No matter how you look at it, Jokic, Gordon, or Porter Jr. are going to have some combination of a size advantage, and that makes stopping their offense an even harder task. Denver makes opposing defenses pay for being smaller or switching smaller players onto their frontline.
Oh, and zone defense will likely not work on Denver. Spoelstra may mix it in bits and pieces, but Jokic is too tall and talented to be susceptible to a zone defense. In fact, Denver’s offense may even be more efficient in a zone than man-to-man. The defensive scheme that’s helped Miami this far won’t work, so they’ll primarily have to depend on man-to-man defense. When you observe these rosters side by side, that is a scary proposition if you’re Miami.
Miami may have a better chance defending Murray/Jokic together than most teams. Butler/Adebayo has been one of the better two-man defensive combinations in the last few years. They’re long, decently athletic, and tough. I am curious to see how Denver plays into Miami’s physicality overall. This series may involve the toughest coverage Murray will face. Even if it’s not Butler most of the game, Spoelstra has found a way to at least slow down premiere guards like Brunson by creating defensive schemes that sniff out most player’s habits. Murray can still matchup hunt someone like Robinson or Vincent or force more switches from Miami’s guards onto one of Denver’s taller players if Jokic isn’t involved. Any success from Murray whether it’s scoring or forcing switches will put Denver that much over the hump offensively, because I can envision Murray struggling from excellent scheming, but not Jokic, however.
If Miami can’t limit Denver’s offense, can it keep up with it? Much of Miami’s offense is Butler matchup hunting. We saw LeBron try this and even become successful for a game or two, but Los Angeles still couldn’t keep up with Denver’s offense. Butler compared to LeBron might be a tad better today since he’s younger but based on the downward trend of Butler’s offensive efficiency since the first round, I’m not inclined to believe he can play Jokic to a draw… which is what it would require for Miami to keep up with Denver in the case that their offense couldn’t be limited.
Miami’s shooters have been excellent in the playoffs, and that may be more of the x-factor than Butler himself. I guarantee Malone is considering staying home on everyone and forcing Butler and Adebayo to beat them one-on-one for 48 minutes. That’s certainly not a winning proposition for a team that depends on threes as much as Miami because without hot shooting, their offense is garbage. Vincent, Martin, Struss, and Lowry can get hot, but how much could they generate on their own? Miami’s only real chance in winning the series is to get a consistent second and/or third offensive explosion from some combination of Butler/Adebayo/role-player. Butler and Adebayo may be able to find consistent scoring in the same game, but they will need a third person to play off them.
You could say I strongly favor Denver, but you should never feel comfortable betting against Miami since they continue to defy statistics round after round. There is a world Miami where wins, and they deserve consideration for taking down two teams who were contenders. I feel that there are enough reasons for Denver to not worry. Their size advantage will be hard to overcome from a team smaller than Los Angeles, and the lack of zone defense means the talent gap between these two teams will become that much more prominent since man-to-man defense is more likely. I don’t truly believe player by player, inch by inch, that Miami has enough schemes to take this away from Denver with less intangibles. If I'm wrong yet again, well, everybody's eating an L anyway. Either way, whoever wins, history will be made, and team play will be rewarded.
Denver wins if: Their offense can’t be stopped. Jokic destroys the zone, destroys anyone defending him, and dominates the glass. Miami’s lack of size finally is a factor in a series. Miami’s role-players cool off and can’t create on their own.
Miami wins if: Spoelstra comes up with a scheme no one saw coming that consistently works. Adebayo and Butler are strong defensively. Love makes a huge impact defending Jokic, rebounding, and making shots. Denver’s half-court offense is finally stymied and Miami’s roleplayers find a Denver player like Murray or Jokic to attack successfully.
Denver in six.
“These are lessons that we’re going to pass on to our children about perseverance. Things don’t go your way; we just keep forging ahead and suffer and suffer and suffer until you get what you want.” – Erik Spoelstra
“This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You’re trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it’s going to be the hardest thing that we’ve ever done – which is the way it should be.” – Michael Malone
This year’s NBA Finals contains probably the two most diametrically opposed teams we’ll ever see come this far. Denver got here through the versatility of their offense and how unstoppable they’ve been on that end. Jokic being able to score, rebound and pass very well simultaneously got them past the best defense in the western conference. Their frontline has size, their backcourt has speed and shooting, and their overall offensive movement combined with Jokic’s passing is a sight to see.
Miami is a bit more of an enigma. They’ve been the hardest team to predict the last couple of years primarily because their best strengths aren’t tied to statistics. Defense is of course how they primarily got here, as their offense has slowly catered off throughout the playoffs. They play significantly better than their regular season stats, have one of the best coaching strategists in the game today, and one physically dominant player who can lead an offense and attack mismatches. Their organization is known for a culture of conformity and accountability, so their players after Butler and Adebayo beat you to death by a thousand-cuts. While Butler/Adebayo handle primary defensive schemes, the rest of the roster buys in and play so collectively together that they always execute and get stops just a little bit more than the other team.
What both teams do share, however, is that they play incredibly well collectively; they just happen to do so at opposite ends of the floor. It will be a series of which type of team basketball is more likely to flourish: the best offensive shooting and passing we’ve seen since the Spurs or the best defensive frontline, coaching, and absolute dogs on a roster since the 04 Pistons?
Starting with the intangibles, Denver has all of them. They’ve had more time to rest and game plan while Miami played a game every other day in a seven-game series. Their offense teetering off throughout the playoffs is indicative of possible fatigue, and with Denver’s altitude, it’s a factor when Denver has homecourt advantage. The only real intangible Miami has is Spoelstra’s coaching, which is somewhat diluted when Miami couldn’t end their eastern conference finals series soon enough to game plan. It may not ultimately matter, but Denver certainly comes in these finals with more inherent advantages.
If I could only to ask myself one question to guess the outcome of the series, it’s if Miami can stop Denver’s offense. Los Angeles had more size and rebounding than Miami and got swept. Adebayo is the likely candidate to get the most minutes on Jokic, and I certainly don’t expect that to be a wash. Adebayo certainly has more speed and is among the best in transition defense, but his size will be a factor when it comes to defending Jokic individually, rebounding against him, and affecting his passing angles. I have my doubts in Miami’s ability to successfully defend Jokic when Adebayo is their tallest player, so it will require more of a collective effort. Love is a major x-factor mostly because he will be needed this series since he’s known for his rebounding and has shown defensive chops historically in the playoffs. The size advantage that Denver has over Miami will likely be an on-going series issue especially if Miami ever decides to go small. No matter how you look at it, Jokic, Gordon, or Porter Jr. are going to have some combination of a size advantage, and that makes stopping their offense an even harder task. Denver makes opposing defenses pay for being smaller or switching smaller players onto their frontline.
Oh, and zone defense will likely not work on Denver. Spoelstra may mix it in bits and pieces, but Jokic is too tall and talented to be susceptible to a zone defense. In fact, Denver’s offense may even be more efficient in a zone than man-to-man. The defensive scheme that’s helped Miami this far won’t work, so they’ll primarily have to depend on man-to-man defense. When you observe these rosters side by side, that is a scary proposition if you’re Miami.
Miami may have a better chance defending Murray/Jokic together than most teams. Butler/Adebayo has been one of the better two-man defensive combinations in the last few years. They’re long, decently athletic, and tough. I am curious to see how Denver plays into Miami’s physicality overall. This series may involve the toughest coverage Murray will face. Even if it’s not Butler most of the game, Spoelstra has found a way to at least slow down premiere guards like Brunson by creating defensive schemes that sniff out most player’s habits. Murray can still matchup hunt someone like Robinson or Vincent or force more switches from Miami’s guards onto one of Denver’s taller players if Jokic isn’t involved. Any success from Murray whether it’s scoring or forcing switches will put Denver that much over the hump offensively, because I can envision Murray struggling from excellent scheming, but not Jokic, however.
If Miami can’t limit Denver’s offense, can it keep up with it? Much of Miami’s offense is Butler matchup hunting. We saw LeBron try this and even become successful for a game or two, but Los Angeles still couldn’t keep up with Denver’s offense. Butler compared to LeBron might be a tad better today since he’s younger but based on the downward trend of Butler’s offensive efficiency since the first round, I’m not inclined to believe he can play Jokic to a draw… which is what it would require for Miami to keep up with Denver in the case that their offense couldn’t be limited.
Miami’s shooters have been excellent in the playoffs, and that may be more of the x-factor than Butler himself. I guarantee Malone is considering staying home on everyone and forcing Butler and Adebayo to beat them one-on-one for 48 minutes. That’s certainly not a winning proposition for a team that depends on threes as much as Miami because without hot shooting, their offense is garbage. Vincent, Martin, Struss, and Lowry can get hot, but how much could they generate on their own? Miami’s only real chance in winning the series is to get a consistent second and/or third offensive explosion from some combination of Butler/Adebayo/role-player. Butler and Adebayo may be able to find consistent scoring in the same game, but they will need a third person to play off them.
You could say I strongly favor Denver, but you should never feel comfortable betting against Miami since they continue to defy statistics round after round. There is a world Miami where wins, and they deserve consideration for taking down two teams who were contenders. I feel that there are enough reasons for Denver to not worry. Their size advantage will be hard to overcome from a team smaller than Los Angeles, and the lack of zone defense means the talent gap between these two teams will become that much more prominent since man-to-man defense is more likely. I don’t truly believe player by player, inch by inch, that Miami has enough schemes to take this away from Denver with less intangibles. If I'm wrong yet again, well, everybody's eating an L anyway. Either way, whoever wins, history will be made, and team play will be rewarded.
Denver wins if: Their offense can’t be stopped. Jokic destroys the zone, destroys anyone defending him, and dominates the glass. Miami’s lack of size finally is a factor in a series. Miami’s role-players cool off and can’t create on their own.
Miami wins if: Spoelstra comes up with a scheme no one saw coming that consistently works. Adebayo and Butler are strong defensively. Love makes a huge impact defending Jokic, rebounding, and making shots. Denver’s half-court offense is finally stymied and Miami’s roleplayers find a Denver player like Murray or Jokic to attack successfully.
Denver in six.
I wouldn't put money on it, but defensive breakout performances I almost never see coming anyway lol
- Aaron Gordon is a big problem for the Heat. He killed them in the 1st and they just didn't have the size to stop him.
- Jokic and Murray killed it. Not a ton to say about that, just business as usual for those two.
- This was Bam's best game of the playoffs and it was wasted.
- Jimmy will get clowned for his lack of aggression, but I really don't think this game is on him. He was generating so many open looks that the Heat role players failed to convert on. That's important because it affects Jimmy's opportunities in the paint if the shooters aren't going to knock down their shots. Gotta keep the defense honest.
- The role players on the Heat sold big time. Strus in particular was the worst player on the court for all 21 of his minutes. Highsmith was the only one that impressed me, maybe he gets more minutes going forward.
As I said before, threes are going to be key in order for the Miami heat to pull an upset, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus combined went 1-14, that's not going to work at all. A lot of their looks for the most part were good looks.
I think the 2nd game will be slightly higher scoring.
I think the 2nd game will be slightly higher scoring.
Caleb Martin too. Scored 3 points, went 1-7 from the field. This guy was killing it last series and he did nothing out there tonight. Gotta be better.
- Status