The Lakers’ defense looked raggedy from the jump. Nothing in Nikola Jokić’s way could stop him as he nailed jump shots, broke inside the lane for layups, and scored putbacks won off 50-50 balls.

In the first quarter, he retrieved 12 rebounds, his most ever in an interval, yet six were offensive, and converted four of six shots. Anthony Davis stayed on his hip, forcing two misses- one on a retry layup and the other on a drive from the top of the key. But the Joker scored twice on him in the first quarter and would do so with ease as the game matured.

Yet, early, the Nuggets raced out to a 37-25 lead. Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray recorded eight of the host’s points on the break as LA failed to put pressure on the ball. Jokić’s sleight of hand produced five dimes before his first break at 43 seconds left in the frame.

The second quarter turned into a duel of giants between Davis and Jokić. AD dropped five buckets- a turnaround hook, a putback jam, two cutting layups, and a pull-up jumper at the elbow with the Big Tipper defending him. Jokić countered by beating Davis off the dribble from the wing to the cup and dusting him in the post as he sliced into the paint for a dunk.

At halftime, the Nuggets led 72-54. Jokić had 19 on his scorecard, Murray logged 17, and Michael Porter Jr. helped with 10. Bruce Brown contributed all of Denver’s 14 bench points on five of nine field goals.

Through 24 minutes, Denver had recovered 36 rebounds to Los Angeles’ 13. Thirteen were also on the offensive side for the Nuggets, which turned into 16 second chance points. Even with hosts registering two more turnovers, their work on the glass churned out seven additional field goal attempts over LA.

In the third period, Davis was immaculate from the field and didn’t sit a moment. Three of his five baskets were scored with the Joker defending an elbow jumper or two straight paint hooks. His partner LeBron James got his licks in, too, spinning past Porter and attacking Gordon in transition.

Although, their old cohort Kentavious Caldwell Pope, now a Nugget, carbonized his former pals. He hit a jumper against drop coverage, converted a right-wing triple when the Lakers inanely doubled the Joker in the post while Davis was on him and hit another trifecta behind a flare screen on the left side. Kenny the Pope matched Jokić with 12 points in the third quarter.

The Cookie Monster (Jokić) also had an unsullied stat line in the period, going five of five from the floor, with five more dimes and three boards. As LA cut its deficit to 11 points with six seconds left in the frame, the Joker dribbled up court and buried a stepback slingshot from 28 feet out over Davis. AD smiled as Jokić looked back and shrugged.

Murray scored the first six points for the Nuggets in the fourth quarter with jump shots in front of drop coverage. The Lakers’ defense didn’t show much resistance in the last gap, but it is where the hosts recorded its lowest field goal percentage. Still, the Nuggets tallied 26 additional points on half of its attempts. But the squad was dull on defense.

Denver’s worst habit was over-helping and leaving shooters behind the 3-point line open. When Rui Hachimura caught the rock in the post, guarded by Murray, Christian Braun came down from the top while Brown was already the low man in position to help. The ball swung to Austin Reaves on the right wing for three points. The damage Hachimura had imposed so far off the bench had rattled Denver’s senses.

Then, Murray decided to double James up top, letting Reaves waltz over to the left side. James instantly recognized the breakdown, dished the ball, and Hillbilly Kobe cut LA’s deficit to three points.

With over two minutes left, Denver was up six points. Again, James initiated offense through a screen at the key, and foolishly Murray blitzed once more. This allowed Reaves to comfortably catch-and-fire from the wing and cut the Nuggets’ lead in half.

James went for the tie, hoisting away from the key, but missed. Jokić drove into the paint on the next possession but was fouled and took a trip to the line, making two. While the Lakers were on life support, Murray poked the ball free from James’ grasp and Denver recovered it.

The Nuggets won Game 1 132-126. Jokić finished with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 dimes. On the other side, Davis had 40 points and 10 boards.

At the postgame presser, coach Mike Malone said his team’s defense needs to improve.

“Our defense has to be a hell of a lot better,” Malone said. “They shot 66% in that second half, and they didn’t feel us and they scored too [easily]… I’d much rather clean things up after a win in the Western Conference Finals than a loss. I will take it but [there is] much work to do.”

When asked about Hachimura’s impact when the Lakers went big, Jokić said, “ I had a couple of turnovers and missed shots. It doesn’t surprise us, but I think we are going to figure it out…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully, Jim Jackson and Ian Eagle were in charge of the last two broadcasts for the Knicks-Heat series. Not that Turner’s coverage is groundbreaking; the audience still has to suffer the psychobabble of Reggie Miller and the thoughtlessness of Stan Van Gundy. But it’s not ABC.

During Game 3’s halftime analysis, Jalen Rose went unchecked, saying the Miami weather was affecting the series, regardless of the game played in a sufficiently ventilated space. Following Miami’s Game 4 win, on ESPN’s “Get Up” show, Mike Greenberg doubled down on Rose’s dopiness and said, “There’s the reality of the temperature change. The heat, the geography, being down there for three days. It sorta zaps a little bit of your energy and your strength…”

I instantly turned my TV off and felt sorry for whoever stayed listening.

In Game 5, Max Strus led the Heat to a 24-10 advantage in the first quarter. Jimmy Butler was more concerned with setting up teammates after a steal, sparking transition, or getting rid of the ball when doubled.

Miami contained the Knicks to six out of 20 makes in the first frame. Julius Randle played every first quarter minute, but as he rested on the bench, the hosts went on runs without him.

The lead seesawed between New York and Miami early in period two. The hosts were operating so well without Randle that he wasn’t checked in until three minutes were left in the half.

While Randle was on the floor in the first interval, he sucked the air out of the ball. He registered one out of seven makes, with one assist to two turnovers, while on a 33.3% usage. The Knicks in the period totaled four dimes.

The Heat struggled to suppress the Knicks’ ball movement in the second quarter. All seven New York assists in quarter two came while Randle was on the bench. The Knicks also raced out to 10 fastbreak points

On the other side, Bam Adebayo hit four straight shots before the half. He dribbled into the lane for a hook over Isaiah Hartenstein, a layup past Mitchell Robinson, and two fastbreak slams. The second dunk was off a Butler miss. Hartenstein went up for the rebound, but Adebayo exploded behind him, grabbed it first and threw it into the cylinder.

At intermission, Miami’s best attack was scoring on second tries. The Heat was down 47-50, taking four more shots but recovering eight offensive boards that turned into 17 second-chance points to New York’s three. Adebayo and Butler each had 12 on their scorecard.

The third quarter was the worst defensive sequence for the visitors. The Knicks scored 34 points on 68.8% shooting from the field and 62.5% efficiency behind the arc. The Heat was caught overhelping on opposing drives and closing out too hard, which exposed areas of the perimeter.

The Heatles endured three scoreless minutes in the third quarter, missing six consecutive tries. The Knicks climbed to its largest series lead (19) midway through the frame.

To start the fourth quarter, the Heat was down 10.

Lowry converted two jumpers by getting M.Robinson and Hartenstein to bite on his fake before hoisting to the side. Duncan Robinson’s sharp shooting, plus Adebayo and Butler’s rim pressure brought Miami to within a possession of the lead with two minutes to go.

The Knicks countered with RJ Barrett driving left on Gabe Vincent. RJ was a step ahead of his man, but an adequate contest was managed. Although Butler left Hartenstein alone to help bother, but his man picked up the miss and went back up for a dunk.

With Miami down four, D. Robinson launched a top-of-the-key triple, but it missed. Butler then bumped into Barrett’s back and was called for a loose ball foul.

The Knicks won 112-103. It was the first match since Game 2 in Milwaukee that Butler had just 12 field goal attempts. In the Heat’s seven postseason wins, Butler averages 23 tries a night.

At the postgame presser, coach Erik Spoelstra said nothing is easy in the Playoffs.

“We expected this to be tough,” Spo said. “They played well…They really dominated those first seven minutes of the third quarter. We fought back to get it to a possession game in the fourth quarter. I really felt like we needed to get it to at least a tie, or [within] one point, or take the lead. That could have changed things, but you have to give them credit. They made plays when they needed to, and they also earned that 18-19 point lead that they had in the third quarter.”

The series heads back to Miami for Game 6, and the Heat will not practice Thursday.

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Butler made up for his missed time in Game 2 by slicing into the lane for a floater and hitting a jumper over a double team to start. He played the entire first quarter, logging 10 points on 55% shooting, with two rebounds and a dime.

The Heat climbed to a 29-21 lead after one interval. Max Strus contributed four out of six makes; he curled around the perimeter for a catch-and-release bomb, finished a break layup after a help-side block, caught Kevin Love’s full-court outlet pass, resulting in a jam and hit a reverse bank shot against drop coverage.

In the first half, the Heat mixed up the matchup on Jalen Brunson with Gabe Vincent as Butler shadowed RJ Barrett. Brunson missed his first five attempts as he was bothered with #2 on his hip. When he managed to zip past Vincent on the baseline or elevate at the elbow for a shot, Strus came in with weak-side help.

Star-J had burned Miami in two straight first halves, but Saturday, the hosts suppressed him to four points on 25% field goal efficiency. When he pulled up from the corner, Butler and Caleb Martin were there to contest. Stepping through the lane for a floater, Butler stalked his man and rejected the ball into Strus’ hands.

At intermission, Adebayo had recorded nine points, extended three possessions via offensive rebounds, and viciously denied Julius Randle’s putback. Miami was up on New York 58-44, as both squads combined to make six 3-pointers in the period.

Jalen Rose, one of the notorious ESPN squares doing the “halftime analysis” show, suggested the weather affected the Knicks, despite the indoor game. I swear, Michael Wilbon was nodding.

“When you’re the road team, you have to pay attention to that heat because it affects the endurance of your muscles…” Rose said.

Rose would have a point if the Heat unethically tampered with the air conditioning system in the arena, making it unbearably hot. But everyone in there sat as cool as a cucumber, except for the players checking in-and-out, or the anxious ones watching on the lines.

In the third quarter, New York restrained Butler from the field but not from invading the charity line for seven perfect attempts. Strus dropped two extra trifectas and broke into the lane for a running jumper.

Five minutes into the frame, Butler drove through the middle, but his lower back made contact with Brunson, thrusting him forward and slightly bending his right ankle on the way down. He played with a limp the rest of the quarter and was briefly used in the fourth because the Knicks never cut its deficit to single digits.

Late in quarter three, Vincent sized up Brunson, but his matchup stepped into his personal space. Vincent pulled up, catching Brunson in the chest and chin with his arm. The refs called a penalty on Miami, but coach Erik Spoelstra used his sideline challenge, and the decision was overturned. Vincent then made three freebies.

In the fourth, the Heat suffocated the Knicks behind the arc by closing out after some drive and kicks, plus staying in front of the ball against some handlers. The Heat only allowed two of ten opposing deep tries to go in for this stretch.

With under eight minutes left, Kyle Lowry backed down Immanuel Quickley in the lane and pivoted past him to give Miami a 22-point lead, its largest of the night, as Butler sat. #22 would soon return for a quick cameo, with the Heat up 14, preventing the Knicks from clawing back in.

Midway through the fourth, Adebayo landed on Quickley’s left ankle, diving for a loose ball. Josh Hart replaced the wounded Knick, and the broadcast caught Quickley slowly limping through the tunnel.

To stretch the advantage back to 15 points, Butler attracted a double when turning past a screen. He maneuvered to the middle, spinning to his right to drop off a pass for Adebayo, unattended in the dunker spot, for his prettiest dish of the afternoon.

The Heat won Game 3 105-86.

At the postgame presser, Butler sat in the chair and answered questions with a hat and pair of black sunglasses on. Not everyone can pull that off. Before rock and roll luminary Tom Petty died, he said wearing shades indoors is an honor you earn. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a privilege Butler can bask in. No Heat player in the team’s history has ever averaged over 34 points a night in the Playoffs through their first seven games like Butler has this year.

When asked about Adebayo’s comments after Game 2, when his teammate blamed himself for the loss, Butler disputed the assessment.

“He did great,” Butler said. “It’s never on one individual… I’m glad that he had a great bounce-back game, as he would call it. We just want him to stay aggressive, be the anchor on the defensive end and be hella aggressive on the offensive end.”

Game 4 is Monday, and the Heat has a bright opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead with a dub. Even without Butler at 100%, he is still a significant difference maker that activates the rest of the parts, like the brain sending nerve signals through the body.

Following the Game 3 victory, FanDuel, Caesars and Bet365 Sportsbook have raised the Heat to the second highest odds of winning the eastern conference behind the Celtics.  Now that the wise guys are respecting the club, it is fair to say that the Heat are for real.

 

 

Referee ineptitude, late mistakes, and Julius Randle’s return helped even the Knicks-Heat series at 1-1. While Miami was without Jimmy Butler, it still contended with New York until the last minute. As the hosts took a late lead in the fourth quarter, Carmelo Anthony and John Starks celebrated like they had the winning lottery numbers.

Caleb Martin had not started since Feb. 15. But he filled in for Butler as the group’s source of offense until Gabe Vincent almost set MSG ablaze in the second half. For as long as it could, the Heat made the game as muddy as the Delta Blues.

The Heat got started by putting Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble. He picked up two penalties in fewer than three minutes defending Bam Adebayo. Isaiah Hartenstein was summoned for the rest of the first quarter, significantly reducing the protection around the rim.

RJ Barrett and Randle fuelled New York’s barren attack in the first half, combining for 12 of the team’s 16 makes. In the second quarter, Miami flashed its 2-3 zone, and the hosts turned into mainly jump shooters, converting just 20% of deep tries. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau looked repulsed as his unit ignored shattering the coverage by attacking the middle.

Through 24 minutes, Martin had a dozen, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo logged eight points apiece, and Max Strus and Duncan Robinson each had six.

The Knicks routinely blitzed ball handlers turning past screens. Vincent and Kyle Lowry dissected these doubles by locating the closest snipers on the perimeter.

In the second half, Brunson erupted for 23 points. He darted past defenders for layups, and splashed deep jumpers in front of switches or when left open. His first step also put defenders on his back hip as he gored the lane.

On the other side, Miami’s lead guard, Vincent, countered with 18 points in quarters three and four. He isolated Randle on the wing for a triple and went one-on-one with Barrett for a long baseline jumper. His next two baskets were top of the key trifectas in front of Quentin Grimes and Hartenstein. His last couple of buckets were layups blowing past Barrett and some ballet around Robinson.

In the fourth quarter, the refs blew multiple calls. On one with 5:29 left, Lowry was boxed out by Randle, waiting for a miss to trickle down, but he got flattened like a pancake and was called for the foul. With three minutes left, the Heat was called for a shot clock violation when Vincent recovered Martin’s miss. The ball kissed the rim as the buzzer horned, but Miami never got 14 seconds back. Coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game it was unchallengeable.

The Heat made two significant mistakes in the fourth quarter. Adebayo rammed through Hartenstein’s pindown for Brunson, resulting in a four-point play, and Hart was left open in the corner because of miscommunication.

In the middle of the last frame, New York went on a 14-6 run to take a three-point lead. It climbed to eight, the host’s largest of the night, and Miami had to play the free throw game with seconds left. A quick layup, an inbound turnover by Randle, and a D. Robinson right-side triple cut the deficit to three with 22 seconds remaining.

The Heat failed to get the steal on the following inbound and burned too many seconds before fouling Hart. The Knicks won 111-105.

At the postgame presser, Spo said, “I think we did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win on the road. But you do have to credit New York. When it becomes those moments of truth, you have to make plays. We did make some plays, but they made more ball in the air, ball on the floor plays that really ended up deciding the game. Those offensive rebounds and extra possessions…”

With the series heading to Miami for Games 3 and 4, the Heat accomplished its objective by splitting the series on the road. Winning Tuesday would have put the Heatles in a commanding position, but the effort the group gave without Butler, the V-12 engine of the squad, is admirable. In his absence, the group still personified his identity.

The next match isn’t until Saturday, giving Butler three days of recovery in between. When he comes back, the Knicks are in danger.

There’s something different about the Heat. They don’t look like a team that had senioritis during the regular season or lost in the first play-in game. Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt his back 11 minutes into round one.  Then the White and Red’s confidence spiked higher than radiation levels in Chernobyl.

Dare I say it? It’s starting to feel like a bubble run.

Precisely twelve days ago – or 288 hours to be exact – the Miami Heat were fighting for their season. Squaring off against the Chicago Bulls in a play-in game, the winner would be awarded the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. But a win was no gift. It meant having to face the 58-24 Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, a team predicated on size, talent, and shooting. Lots of shooting. In every way, the Bucks are the antithesis of Miami. A win against the Bulls and an invitation to the playoff ultimately wouldn’t mean much. Or at least we thought.

 

Fast forward to the present, and the Heat finds themselves up 3-1 against the top-seeded “juggernaut”, with an opportunity to send them packing on Wednesday.

 

But how?

 

How can a team so inconsistent and beset by problems find themselves in this position?

 

Two words: Playoff Jimmy.

 

Jimmy Butler’s performance in Game 4 on Monday night was otherworldly. It was the greatest individual performance in Heat playoff history. And that’s saying something when you consider which players have dawned a Heat jersey over the years.

 

His final tally was video-game-like: 56 points and nine rebounds on 78% true shooting. In doing so, he became just the 3rd player in NBA playoff history to score at least 55 points on 75% true shooting or better. Elite stuff.

 

While Butler has single-handedly carried Miami through four games, it would be remiss to recognize a few players who have stepped up in this series. And odds are if not for their level of play, it’s likely Miami isn’t in a position to close this out on Wednesday. Here are a few noteworthy performances that have helped the Heat take command of this series.

 

Kyle Lowry Is Taking And Making Shots

 

Lowry has been the proverbial punching bag among Heat fans for much of this season, and rightfully so. The man is earning $28 million this season and has essentially been unplayable for much of the season. While his production still doesn’t quite match his expensive price tag, he’s making shots and doing all of the little stuff that annoys opposing teams.

 

Through 6 playoff games (two play-in games included), Lowry is hitting nearly 64% of his two’s while shooting 45% from three. More importantly, he’s playing aggressively on offense.

 

Per Cleaning The Glass, he’s taken 43% of his field goal attempts from the mid-range. This was a spot Lowry took advantage of earlier in his career. He was an assassin pulling up around a screen, killing defenses playing drop. This was a big frustration during the regular season, as he only took 21% of his shots from the mid-range.

Now utilizing the mid-range more aggressively, his 43% frequency across six games is a career-high by more than 3%.

 

Lowry’s aggressiveness is uber important to Miami’s offensive flow as Milwaukee is among one of the most drop-heavy teams in the league. And with Bam Adebayo still earning his wings as a shooting threat, Lowry’s willingness to take and make the mid-range pull-up has put Milwaukee’s defense on their heels at times.

 

On top of his offensive aggression, Lowry has continued to do all of the little things that make him annoying to play against. His six deflections rank eighth among players with less than 100 minutes this postseason.

 

He still may not be performing as advertised when Miami inked him to a large deal last offseason, but his play has impacted winning this postseason.

 

Caleb Martin Isn’t Afraid Of The Big Stage

 

If not for Martin, Miami is likely going back to Milwaukee with the series tied. The story of Monday’s fourth quarter was obviously Butler, but Martin gave Miami huge minutes. There was a two-minute span with under five minutes left where Martin had a stretch of the following:

 

Rebound – Drawn Foul – Two Free Throws – Offensive Rebound – Two-Point Jumper (with a DeShawn Stevenson palm-in-face celebration directed at Giannis Antetokounmpo) – Three-Point Jumper

 

All of this occurred from the 4:18 mark down to 2:43 left.

 

Simply put, Miami doesn’t close this game out if it weren’t for Martin. The man literally looked at Giannis in the witching hour of a playoff game and hit him with the DeShawn Stevenson celebration. Do you know how much confidence you have to have to pull that off?

 

This stretch summed up who Martin is as a player. We’re talking about a guy who was on a two-way contract last season contributing to winning basketball in the playoffs. If that’s not the quintessential Miami Heat player, then I don’t know what is.

 

Through six postseason games, he has an eFG of 72% and is hitting 47% of his attempts from three (8-17). Much to the tune of Butler, he is elevating his game when it matters most. All in all, he is outplaying the 3-year, $20 million contract he signed this offseason.

 

Miami Runs On Duncan

 

Arguably the biggest story through the first four games of this series has been the play of Duncan Robinson. Labeled as one of the league’s worst contracts, Robinson has been unplayable for most of the season, with memories of his blazing-hot 2020 breakout season seeming far away.

 

When Tyler Herro broke his hand in the first half of Game 1, Erik Spoelstra was left with no choice. Robinson had to play.

 

Since the moment he checked into Game 1, he’s shot 76% from three. Seventy-six percent. 13-17 from downtown.

 

Not only has this given Miami a jolt in the points department, but the Bucks now need to fear him when he’s on the court. His presence on the floor is a weapon again, just as it was in 2020.

 

Robinson didn’t attempt a single shot in the second half of Game 4. Why? Because a Bucks defender was glued to his hip. As a result, Miami had more driving lanes and opportunities to attack the basket.

 

This is the Robinson that Miami signed to a $90M contract a couple of seasons ago. If he can continue to shoot with this much confidence, Miami’s lackluster offense could quickly turn into a daunting task for teams to slow down.

 

Honorable Mention: Haywood Highsmith Gaining Confidence

 

With injuries to Victor Oladipo and the aforementioned Tyler Herro, Spoelstra has had no choice but to dig deep into his bag of rotations. This included giving Highsmith meaningful minutes in Game 4, along with a big-time task: Slow down Giannis.

 

I mean, the guy was literally playing basketball at a Division II school two years ago and is now guarding a former MVP in the playoffs.

 

So, how did he do?

 

According to NBA.com’s matchup tracker, Highsmith defended Giannis for 13 possessions, held him to 2-6 shooting (33%), and forced one turnover.

 

While it is a small sample size, Highsmith’s length allows him to bother opposing players. That, along with his high motor, should give Spoelstra more trust in deploying him on Giannis for small stretches going forward.

 

You’re never going to shut down a player of Giannis’ caliber, but you can never have enough capable and rested bodies to throw at him. Highsmith is proving to be capable.