After successful Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals pretty simply, the Denver Nuggets blew a 15-point lead and misplaced Recreation 2 to the Miami Warmth, 111-108, turning the sequence into an obvious dogfight.
Some really feel the Nuggets misplaced as a result of maybe they obtained complacent, one thing pundits have accused them of being responsible of within the early rounds of the playoffs.
Others really feel it’s merely a matter of the Warmth being the NBA’s hardest-working crew and an instance of the entire being larger than the sum of a crew’s components.
However there could also be a less complicated clarification, in accordance with analyst Eric Shapiro.
He identified the shortage of communication when defending sure actions the Warmth ran, which led to botched defensive switches and open pictures.
📽️ Denver allowed 19 factors (7 baskets) in Recreation 2 instantly from miscommunicated switches.
Large issue within the recreation and one thing the Nuggets must clear up the remainder of the Finals. pic.twitter.com/IYKJLny9He
— Eric Shapiro (@eric_shap) June 5, 2023
These defensive miscues by Denver have been one cause why the Warmth shot a scorching 48.6 % from 3-point vary in Recreation 2 after making simply 33.3 % of such makes an attempt in Recreation 1.
Throughout the common season, the Warmth struggled to hit pictures from distance, they usually have been the one crew within the NBA to common lower than 110 factors a recreation.
On the identical time, protection has been the bone of competition for the Nuggets.
They’ve been a superb offensive crew all season, however some have puzzled all alongside if their protection is air-tight sufficient to carry them their first-ever world championship.
On the identical time, their offense hasn’t been all that up to now on this sequence, as they’ve been held underneath 110 factors in each video games.
If the Nuggets don’t rectify these points, they could possibly be in hassle heading to South Florida for Recreation 3 and Recreation 4.
NEXT:
Analyst Says Mike Malone Made A Teaching Mistake In Recreation 2