Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has taken accountability after a nightmare of technical mishaps during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
After seeing off the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Finals, Miami were soundly beaten by the two-headed monster of Denver Nuggets superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Jokic, a two-time MVP, netted a triple-double with 14 assists on his Finals debut, beating the all-time NBA record set by Celtics legend Bill Russell.
Murray provided additional offensive firepower with 26 points and 10 assists, contributing to a seemingly unstoppable pick-and-roll offence. However, Spoelstra’s key adjustments set the tone for a huge Game 2 victory on Denver’s home floor.
Heat forward Kevin Love earned a DNP (did not play) during Game 1 of the series, with Coach Spoelstra sticking to the familiar insertion of Caleb Martin into the starting lineup. Martin’s offensive output of 13 points per game on 54.5% shooting had helped propel the Heat past the Boston Celtics during the Eastern Conference epic.
"We went with this lineup for 14 games," Spoelstra said. "I didn't have the foresight. I didn't. That's on me. We had to make an adjustment in that Boston series, and that really was necessary, and it worked. Then we're facing a new opponent that we don't really know, and so we just went with what finished that previous series."
However, Love's size, physicality, and championship experience were crucial adjustments that served well for the Eastern Conference champions. Love and Martin finished the game with similar time spent on the floor, with 22 minutes and 21 minutes played, respectively. But it was Love’s 10 rebounds and physical stature that slowed down the output of Aaron Gordon, who was an integral part of the Nugget's Game 1 success.
"I don't know how many minutes -- I don't have my glasses, so I don't know the stats -- but that veteran experience, the dedicated championship-level experience that K-Love and Kyle both brought there's not an analytic that can show you how valuable that was," Spoelstra added.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr weighed in on the Finals matchup after appearing on the Draymond Green show. During the podcast, he revealed a major adjustment alongside Love that was key to the Game 2 win.
"[Draymond Green] mentioned them starting Love. That allowed Jimmy Butler to guard Murray. I haven't spoken to [Spoelstra], but I can see them in their coaches' meeting saying Murray is the head of the snake. Not Jokic. If you just look at it, you go, ‘Well, it’s Jokic,’ but when you play them, you realize, ‘He’s gonna dominate no matter what we do… so I think they just decided Murray is the guy we gotta stop."
With the series split after two games, the Heat have wrestled home court advantage and their adjustments could propel the Heat to become the first 8th seed ever to win an NBA title. Now it's up to the Nuggets coaching staff, led by Mike Malone, to battle back with the necessary adjustments of their own for Game 3 in South Beach.
