A tale of two arenas; Monday, one side was bathing in champagne and the other likely in tears. Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and coach Michael Malone, at separate times, embraced the fans waiting for them behind the line ropes in the tunnel. Then Ömer Yurtseven passed the hallway with his suitcase, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

Heat vice president of basketball ops Andy Elisburg even made an inconspicuous escape through the loading dock as we, the press vultures, scattered and waited for the Nuggets to pass by en route to the locker room.

“Those last three or four minutes felt like a scene out of a movie. Two teams in the center of the ring throwing haymaker after haymaker…” Erik Spoelstra said moments after Game 5.

But I’d say the entire season felt that way. In the last couple of months, the Heat expended everything it had physically to get to the NBA Finals, overcoming the Play-In Tournament to three wins away from a title.

It wasn’t luck, and qualifying it as such would be a tasteless misrepresentation of genius. The Heat legitimately became the beast of the east when it took out the alleged monsters at the one and two seed, Milwaukee and Boston.

Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo logged 38% of the series minutes in round one. Miami still eliminated Milwaukee in its building the night the Greek Freak dropped 38 points and 20 rebounds.

In the next series, the Heat shattered the fifth-seeded Knicks’ home-court advantage and won both in Miami to go up 3-1. Jimmy Butler missed Game 2 because flop merchant Josh Hart jumped into his ankle, probably capping his explosion the rest of the Playoffs, despite what he says. Miami finished New York off in six.

Its seven-match Eastern Conference Finals with the Celtics should be remembered as a classic. A wise scribe once said the best series involves both squads winning at least two on the road. Miami won three, lost three and then redeemed itself, but in the ECF, three victories came away, and Boston earned two at the Kaseya Center.

The Playoffs have an unmatched ability to expose a player’s genuine basketball character. Tyler Herro, a 20-point per game scorer who recorded 37.8% of eight attempted triples in the regular season, broke two bones in his shooting hand 19 minutes into Game 1 in Milwaukee. His absence could have plunged the group’s chances because of its reliance on him as a dribbler and floor spacer. Yet, the Heat continued to move the rock well and log the highest 3-point percentage in the Playoffs.

Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin combined to make 38 of 76 (50%) 3-pointers in the ECF with Boston. Max Strus was at his best in the Conference Semifinals against New York, contributing 14.7 points on 35.4% long-range efficiency but an eye-popping 79% on 2-point tries (19).

Kevin Love, former ‘Wolve and Cavalier acquired from the buyout market in February, had 18 starts out of 23 Heat Playoff games. His marksmanship and lacerating outlet, plus half court passes, were a secret weapon through three rounds. Spoelstra inserting him as a starter in Game 2 of the Finals in Denver was one of the pivotal adjustments that propelled the visitors to a dub. He shot poorly but recovered extra possessions and was disruptive against the Nuggets’ drives in the backline.

Butler was the frontman for the Heat’s campaign. In Game 4 against Milwaukee, he dropped 56 points, tied for the fourth most ever in a Postseason match. Through it all, he finished with 592 on his scorecard in 23 outings. Only 16 players in NBA history have supplied more through a Playoff run.

In the Finals, Adebayo was the Heat’s finest performer. He was tasked with trying to contain the league’s most nuclear weapon, the Joker, and still had the energy to bestow 21.8 points on 45.5% shooting in over 41 minutes nightly.

The Heat made mistakes too. Spoelstra didn’t trust Haywood Highsmith to play real time in the Finals, and Butler was too passive for lengthy spurts in multiple outings, while Miami was overmatched. Had Highsmith been used as a rotation piece when Vincent and Strus went cold instead of relief minutes, and Butler had been more authoritative, it would have only delayed the inevitable.

Wednesday, the Heat conducted exit interviews. Adebayo said the moments he went through with his teammates were appreciated.

“You never know what can happen next year,” Adebayo said. “You never know what can happen at the deadline. So for me, I just soak in all the good moments, the bad moments, the adversity, all of it. You cherish it because that’s what makes it a brotherhood. We’ve been through so much this year, and I feel it’s brought us closer as brothers.

But one of them is guaranteed to be gone from the locker room. Captain Udonis Haslem’s watch has ended.

UD’s impact is unreplicable. He sacrificed playing time for the development of the troops starting back in 2015. Haslem trained as hard as anyone and was a respected voice behind the scenes, in spite of uniformed factions of the fanbase and clueless media members wondering why the Heat used the 15th roster spot on him. He’s walking away because he’s fulfilled as a pro, and the guys get it now.

At Sunday’s media day, while Denver was up 3-1, Butler said there was no appreciation for the journey. It came short, but the Heat was the second eighth seed and first play-in team to reach the NBA Finals. JB didn’t think too much of it because he’s cursed with always wanting more. But Wednesday he said his biggest takeaway was his gratefulness to compete with his teammates.

The theme of the regular season was one step forward, two backward. It’s why the group developed the reputation for getting tasks done the hard way. The Heat was the 12th seed on Nov. 21, a month into the season, through 18 games. It never ascended past the sixth seed.

“I am just grateful to be a part of the run we had,” Strus said. “It was a very fun basketball experience for me, and I’ll always remember the moments and run we had. As far as what’s next, I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to it, enjoying the journey and letting things take care of itself.”

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The crowd roared as confetti rained on the Denver Nuggets, holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy for its first time. As the final minutes of Game 5 faded, family members of players and coaches rushed through the tunnels to join their people. Public relations agents, ex-players down to the ball boys and security guards were walking with their chests out in jubilation.

To start, Miami forced Denver to commit four turnovers in three minutes, but coach Michael Malone stopped time, summoning his troops for a correction. It resulted in an unmatched 12-point burst, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra issued the club’s first break.

Bam Adebayo missed two easy shots at close-range defended by Nikola Jokić but swiped off the nerves, making four straight buckets, facing up, and attacking through pick and pop plus the roll. Max Strus was his only help, scoring eight points while the rest of the unit had two.

Jimmy Butler was plagued again by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s rapid hands, getting blocked on a low post-up, and he missed as Jokić’s length bothered him in drop coverage. The first sign of an off night for JB came when he missed both free throws in the first following three bricks.

In the first interval, the Heatles were curbed to 35.7% shooting but took four more shots and two additional freebies. They also drew two fouls apiece on Aaron Gordon, Jeff Green and Jokić, compelling Malone to sit his trusted former back-to-back MVP two minutes earlier than his average.

In the second quarter, Butler isolated Deandre Jordan for a scoop layup and finished a fastbreak dunk. Kyle Lowry splashed two 3-pointers, one at the top of the key against the drop and another well-contested strike from the corner.

Defensively, the Heat contained Jamal Murray to a pair of baskets by staying with his dribble and contesting the step-back up top or pull-up from the elbow.

At halftime, the Heat led 51-44. Adebayo had 18 points on eight of 13 attempts. Butler had eight on 25% shooting.

In the third quarter, Jokić fractured the visiting advantage by exploiting mismatches of Vincent stuck on his hip and backing down Adebayo from the perimeter to cup for a hook with a putback.

Miami multiple times tried to get actions going in the paint, but Michael Porter Jr. and Jokić’s tentacles caused eight misses in the box.

In the fourth quarter, Spoelstra made a dreadful mistake by inserting Cody Zeller for a minute. Miami was up a point, but within multiple possessions, he was attacked in the paint, and his overhelping on a drive gave away the Heat’s advantage as Murray canned a left-wing trifecta.

Suddenly, JB turned from Alfred the Butler into Playoff Jimmy as he hit two 3-pointers, a pull-up in the post, plus five free throws. But as Miami was up one with 90 seconds left, Bruce Brown tracked down an offensive rebound and laid it up off the glass, giving Denver the lead.

Miami engaged in the free throw formality, but it was too late. The Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA championship. It was the first time the organization had been in the title round since the 1976 ABA Finals when losing to the New York Nets in six games.

At the postgame presser, Malone said his team isn’t satisfied with the outcome, but it’s looking towards more.

“The last step after being a champion is to be a dynasty, “ Malone said. “So we’re not satisfied. We accomplished something this franchise has never done before, but we have a lot of young talented players in that locker room, and I think we just showed through 16 Playoff wins what we’re capable of on the biggest stage in the world…”

Porter, who at 23 had his third back surgery, arrived at the speakers table next, reeking of champagne and asking someone in the room to join him up front. There were no takers. He said adjustments were made, but being a close-out game, the intensity level was the most significant change.

“It was physical, people were missing shots, it wasn’t a pretty basketball game, but that’s what winning a championship is all about,” Porter said. “You got to be able to win in many different ways… It’s just about winning.”

Caldwell-Pope was next. He said it was amazing to have the Nuggets get back to its first Finals since 1976.

“I’m excited to just be a part of the history that we made tonight,” Caldwell-Pope said.

While KCP was answering another scribe’s inquiry, Jokić arrived and informed him his media availability had concluded by affectionately pouring a beer on his head.

When the Joker took the stage, he was asked about the emotions in his journey, going from pick #41 in round two of the 2014 Draft to NBA champ and Finals MVP. He said, “It’s good. We did a job. I think we played the best basketball in the Postseason…It’s a great journey, the 41st pick, but to be honest, that doesn’t matter. When you’re here, you’re a player, and they have [seven] guys that are not even drafted [who are] contributing for them to win.”

The parade will pass through Denver Thursday.

Through three games in the Finals, the road squad has won twice, shooting down any misguided speculation of a boring series. One coach has already burned his troops for a good sound bite, and the other has unfairly lost his cool after hearing a fair question. As Charles Dickens wrote in A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” assuredly at different moments for both teams.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić got anything they wanted for the Nuggets, but the match was tied after a quarter. Their two-man actions shredded the Heat’s paint protections, but the hosts held Denver to two of 11 made looks outside the lane early.

Murray was quick on the draw after wrapping around a screen. He torched drop coverage and beat his man off the dribble to get to the teeth of the zone. Miami also tried trapping up top, but he got the ball out in time and involved again.

The Joker was indefensible, hitting turnaround hooks in the lane and pop shots after screening for a teammate. Through the first half, he accumulated 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.

The Heat’s 2-2-1 press was the only scheme to give the Nuggets problems in the first half because it ate away at the clock and prevented ball movement. Man-to-man coverage and the zone shattered as the game continued.

On the other side, Max Strus tallied four dimes in five minutes. Jimmy Butler began the evening aggressively going at the low man when turning past a pick. When hunting Murray, the Nuggets sent a double at JB, but he dissected the help on multiple occasions.

Bam Adebayo kept challenging the Joker, but he missed three close-range shots after getting a step on his defender. On other attempts, Jokić created misses at the elbow against the jab-step and pull-up jumper, plus caused an error on Adebayo’s fastbreak drive.

At halftime, the Heat was down 48-53. Thirty of Denver’s first-half points came in the paint on 15 of 23 attempts. It was surprising that Haywood Highsmith was stashed again with no attention given to his quick feet and hands as an option for stopping Murray because, in the second quarter, Gabe Vincent picked up three suspect fouls in three minutes.

In the third quarter, Denver skewered Miami in the restricted area, logging 82% of its tries.

Jokić resumed his assault on White Hot and got Adebayo to leave his feet twice on a fake. He curled around a screen for a jump shot at the nail, canned a fadeaway over Kevin Love, plus buried one left-wing artillery strike supplied by Murray’s pass. That 3-pointer was the only one the Nuggets recorded in quarters three and four on five tries.

The Heatles couldn’t defend without fouling either in the second half, putting the Nuggets in target practice for 15 of 17 freebies.

Denver’s lead scaled to 21 points following intermission. Rookie Christian Braun even got his licks in with 11 points and one miss among the 12 players coach Michael Malone played post-break.

In the fourth quarter, the hosts used the 2-2-1 press to get into the 2-3 zone, but the visitors worked around it and still logged 53.8% of their shots. On defense, the Nuggets shut the Heat down from everywhere on the court.

Murray and Jokić each finished with 30-point triple-doubles. It was Murray’s first in the Playoffs and Jokić’s 10 in this tour and 16 in his postseason career, per NBA Stats.

At the postgame presser, Malone said the Game 3 win was the prime performance of the Jokić-Murray partnership.

“I have been with Nikola [Jokić] for eight and Jamal [Murray] for seven years now,” Malone said. “And we’ve had some pretty good moments, but not in the NBA Finals. And for those guys to make history the way they did tonight- no one’s ever done that…by far their greatest performance as a duo in their seven years together.”

In the Heat’s press room, coach Erik Spoelstra said his team lost plenty of 50-50 balls in swing moments of the match.

“At our best version, we find ways to overcome that, make it tough on them, and certainly not lose the overwhelming majority of those physical, 50-50 battles…” Spoelstra said.

Spoelstra also mentioned that winning the effort plays is the team’s identity, and when it isn’t up to standard, it can affect performance.

The ideal antidote to that problem should have been inserting Highsmith for more than two relief minutes. He works well in the zone and in man coverage and comes up with momentum-shifting plays. In the future, he should be the Heat’s backup big man.

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Seven years ago, Kevin Love played 30 minutes for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, where he was a +19 in Cleveland’s four-point victory and a major catalyst in their historic comeback over the Golden State Warriors after falling behind 3-1.

 

In Monday’s Game 7 victory over the revitalized Boston Celtics, he registered his second DNP-CD of the last two games.

 

Love, who will be 35 in September, has seen a lot of change in the seven years since becoming an NBA champion. He’s now married to his longtime girlfriend, Kate Bock, and he plays for a new team in a new city. For most guys, this would signal that it’s time to consider hanging it up.

 

Not Love.

 

As a matter of fact, his impact on winning is seemingly felt now more than ever. Just in a different way. He’s brought joy back to the Miami Heat locker room.

 

From the “Lead us Kevin” mantra that has swept through the team to the pesty antics on the sidelines with Jimmy Butler, this team is having fun while playing basketball. And it all starts with Love.

 

“Kevin coming, I think he totally changed the whole dynamic of our locker room,” said Duncan Robinson when speaking on what Love’s presence has meant for the team.

 

“Just his character, his levity, what he brought just in terms of, like, connecting people, having a sense of humor.”

 

When Love joined the Miami Heat back in February, he joined a deflated team. Sure, they had only fallen one shot shy of reaching the NBA finals a few months prior, but the wear and tear of a long postseason run and injuries had seemingly caught up to it. It only sat five games above .500 and was 7th in the Eastern Conference standings.

 

Love was in no means expected to be the savior, but his skill set was a welcome sight among Heat fans. A big man who can stretch the floor and rebound alongside Bam Adebayo. This was encouraging.

 

But fast-forward to the present and Miami’s biggest contribution from Love has been his team-first approach.

 

“When you have a guy who’s played in four NBA finals, you know, won a championship, gets pulled from a rotation in the middle of a series and his immediate reaction is uplifting the guy who’s replacing him. I mean that alone sets the tone down the line for everybody else”, said Robinson.

 

These words from Robinson are significant because he himself was pulled from the Heat’s rotation earlier in the season. He’s now gone from the butt of everyone’s jokes to a key cog in Miami’s offensive attack. You can bet your bottom dollar that Love has played a role in Robinson’s comeback.

 

Love’s energy and team-first approach was on full display even before the playoffs began and it helped set the tone for what this team is accomplishing now.

 

Back in April after a 101-92 loss to the New York Knicks in which Kevin Love played poorly, Erik Spoelstra decided to start Cody Zeller for the team’s next game against the Chicago Bulls. Rather than sulking on the bench, Love responded with one of his best games in a Heat uniform.

 

He finished with 18 points in 19 minutes, five rebounds, and two threes. More importantly, the Heat got the victory. Love’s selflessness that night even inspired Miami’s leader.

 

“K-Love has always been about winning”, said Butler, who is enjoying another mythological postseason run.

 

“As long as we win, he’s not going to complain, nobody’s going to complain, because whether it’s our last four games of the season or our last 24 games of the season, he’s always been about winning. And if that helps us win, that’s what he’s going to do and he’s not going to complain about it.

 

On Thursday night, Miami will take the court against the Denver Nuggets in what will be the franchise’s seventh finals appearance in its 34-year history and sixth since 2010.

 

For Love, this marks his fifth finals appearance, which means he’s made the finals in every season of his career that he’s made the playoffs.

 

While we can hardly predict what his role in this series will be, one thing’s for sure – he will be the loudest teammate on the sideline. Laughing, smiling, and flailing his towel around every time one of his teammates makes a play.

 

“I didn’t come here to shoot 15 shots a game or ask for more,” Love said. “I just wanted to be able to make my impact, make my stamp on the game. Sometimes it’s not going to show up in the stat sheet; sometimes it is, but you’re affecting winning. That’s kind of where I’m at in my career right now.”

 

As for the “Lead us Kevin” phrase, according to Max Strus it was started during a practice.

 

“It was like a shooting drill that Chris Quinn was running in practice”, said Strus on the origins of the term.

 

“And he [Quinn] just said ‘Kevin, go first’. And I just said, ‘Lead us Kevin’, out of nowhere. I didn’t think it would stick like this. But it’s kind of running its own race. It’s been fun. It’s hilarious. And everybody’s buying into it.”

 

For those keeping score at home, the last time Miami had a pertinent mantra during the playoffs was back in 2006 when Pat Riley coined the “15 Strong” phrase.

 

We all know what happened that season.

One aspect of the regular season has carried over for the Heat in the Playoffs lately: the need to get things done the hard way. And it’s back to Miami for Game 6 following two straight Ls after winning the first three. Pressure is mounting on both sides.

The Celtics now have high expectations to beat the Heat. But two consecutive wins have elevated the confidence of the Green monster. The White and Red still control the series, yet it has allowed the speculation of Boston making history to go from whispers to bold public predictions by famous media members. It doesn’t feel like the Heat is trying to avoid being the first team in NBA history to avoid giving up a 3-0 lead, yet. That could change if the squad is not careful.

At least two ESPN peeps have courageously said the Celtics will be the first to overcome the 0-3 albatross: Ignoramus Mike Greenberg and ex-player Richard Jefferson.

Game 6 is in Miami, but the Celtics snatched the fourth one there, making it capable of going behind enemy lines for a dub against this opponent. Keep in mind, the Cs defeated the Heat in the last three matches in Miami last season. That’s an outfit immune to the Miami flu.

The Heatles were frazzled again Thursday. There was a lack of synchronicity on both sides. First, the hosts overhelped on the wrong assignments and were delayed closing out to marksmen. On offense, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo shot blanks and couldn’t stop the bleeding.

Lead guard Gabe Vincent was absent with a sprained left ankle. Kyle Lowry started for him but was invisible, minus when committing four turnovers and one dime off a pick-and-pop play with Adebayo.

It only took Boston five minutes to ascend to a double-digit lead it never conceded. Jayson Tatum skinned the defense with sleight of hand when the Heat doubled him and found open snipers in transition. Covered or open, Jaylen Brown spat fire from deep and broke the 2-3 zone by going hard at the middle.

The visitors cut the deficit to a dozen near the end of the second quarter. Yet, the Cs countered with a pair of steals and two triples to extend the advantage back to 17 points.

Adebayo and Butler played 12 minutes in the third quarter, but the visitors couldn’t make up the difference. Coach Erik Spoelstra saw enough at the start of the fourth to sit Butler on the bench, as he already had #13.

At the postgame presser, Butler said the team needed to play better, starting earlier.

The role players become self-reliant when Butler successfully leads the attack, so it’s incumbent upon him to convert more than four points on one of five attempts in 12 opening minutes while Tatum and friends feast inside the paint.

Spoelstra said he isn’t concerned about the team’s mental state.

“We have a gnarly group,” Spoelstra said. “I think so much of that is overrated. It’s a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in a Conference Finals, and one game doesn’t lead into the next game. Based off all the experience we’ve had…”

Every series is different.  What Spoelstra said was true facing off with the Bucks and Knicks, but in round three, the Heat’s had its least inspiring performance of the Playoffs following a loss in its building.  A review in the film room will sting some egos but it might be the right antidote to bury the Green.

 

The Heat will not practice Friday.

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