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Which NBA mascot can you beat up? We can’t all pick the Boston Celtics’ leprechaun.
Denver On Title Cusp
Can Miami extend NBA Finals?
Miami seemed to figure out its problems against Denver en route to a Game 2 win. The Heat tied the finals, stole home-court advantage, generated/made good shots and used their junk zone against the Nuggets at inopportune times. Miami headed back home and showed great fight in Game 3’s first half.
Since then? It hasn’t mattered what Miami does on defense in an attempt to slow down Denver’s historic attack. Denver has also flipped a switch defensively. The Nuggets closed out Games 3-4 with incredible championship-level defense. That stretch leaves them 48 minutes from the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship.
That also illustrates the grave situation Miami finds itself currently in. We’ve seen 36 teams in NBA Finals history trail 3-1. Only one pulled off the improbable: the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, which featured Kevin Love. Unfortunately, Miami’s capabilities don’t seem to match those LeBron-led Cavs and their nearly 107 points per game in completing that comeback. In their three wins this series, the Nuggets have locked down the Heat’s offense so well, allowing only 94.0 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting.
In Game 4, despite holding Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to bad shooting nights, the Heat were burned by Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown while scoring under 100 points in consecutive games for the first time in two months.
Forget winning the series — here’s what Miami must do to simply stave off elimination and extend its season with another home game in Miami:
- Attack the basket: There was a play in Game 4’s first minute where Bam Adebayo took the ball in transition, went right at a backpedaling Jokić and scored at the rim. That didn’t happen again until a meaningless bucket in the fourth. Adebayo and Jimmy Butler must play strong and athletic at the rim all game.
- Make 3s: The Heat averaged 30 open 3-point shots in Games 1 and 2. They were hot in Game 2 after opening the finals with a cold Game 1. Their total such attempts fell to 25 in Game 3 before declining to 19 in Game 4. The Heat must create and cash in good looks.
- Pray against Denver’s 3s: Denver was the league’s fourth-best 3-point shooting team in the regular season. In Games 1-3, the Nuggets shot just 32.8 percent from deep before posting a 50 percent clip on 28 attempts in Game 4. Miami must pray the Nuggets’ 3-point tidal wave doesn’t resurface in Denver.
Before some free-agent talk, let’s tip off the week with a Shams update.
The Latest From Shams
As the NBA Finals wind down, the eyes of much of the league have already turned toward next week’s NBA Draft.
One prospect whose stock seems to be rising is Kentucky’s Chris Livingston. Sources told me recently that Livingston has canceled all seven of his remaining workouts ahead of the draft, fueling belief that the 6-foot-6 wing has a draft promise from a team.
Livingston was No. 68 on Sam Vecenie’s most recent draft big board in early May, and the 19-year-old averaged 6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in his lone year at Kentucky. We’ll see next Thursday if he hears his name called on draft night.
Back to you, Zach.
Chairman of the BORD$
Hollinger’s free-agent hierarchy
Last week, our own John Hollinger unveiled his 2023 BORD$ rankings for free-agent values. Using various analytics, John’s method predicts the value a player could provide next season.
First and foremost, I was legitimately shocked at who was No. 1 on the list, simply because I’m not expecting this player to log a ton of minutes. Because you should read the article, I won’t give anything away here, but the player’s name rhymes with Shmyrie Shmirving.
I also wanted to compare a couple respective rankings, so let’s take a crack at them:
First BORD$ battle: Kristaps Porziņģis versus Draymond Green
Both are expected to decline their player options and enter free agency this summer. But it’s interesting to see Porziņģis valued so much higher than Green. Some of this is obviously due to scoring and shooting, because Porziņģis is a scoring weapon and Green simply isn’t. But is that enough to have KP seven spots higher and making $16 million more than Green?
I understand Green’s age (33) makes it tougher to justify a long-term deal in comparison to Porziņģis (27), but no part of me would prefer Porziņģis’ 2023-24 value over Green’s.
Second BORD$ battle: Josh Hart versus D’Angelo Russell
Hart ranked one spot and roughly $1.8 million higher than Russell in this BORD$ ranking, which shocked me. I don’t even disagree. Russell is a flashier name with a flashier game, but his play has been uninspiring since his All-Star season in 2018-19. He recently had a good change of scenery with the Lakers but was completely unreliable in the postseason.
Hart doesn’t have sexy numbers, and it’s hard to quantify his value at times. But he makes the little plays that help win you games. I can’t imagine Hart makes nearly two million more in salary than Russell, but he can buy a lot of formula if he does.
There’s plenty of good information in this piece from John, who will be unveiling the positional rankings all week long. Today, he talks point guards.
Mascot Madness
Connor batters Burnie
During Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Heat allowed a trash can in a leisure suit — aka Connor McGregor — to promote a pain relief spray he’s pushing. McGregor was supposed to have a little fight with Burnie, the Heat’s mascot, and pretend to knock him out. At the very least, he could’ve just soft-punched him to the ground.
Instead, McGregor actually coldcocked Burnie by hitting him twice. The man inside the mascot costume was taken to the emergency room and given pain medication, according to Sam Amick. Apparently, that spray is about as effective as Russell Wilson’s concussion water.
Sam reported Burnie will be good to go in Game 6 if it happens. I’m not a doctor, but I think he’ll have plenty of time off between Game 4 and the Heat’s next game in October.
Bounce Passes
In need of a live blog for Game 5 coverage? We’ve got you covered!
The No Dunks crew previews Game 5 and goes around the NBA.
John Hollinger does not want us to forget how good Butler has been.
The Raptors hired Darko Rajaković to be their next head coach.
Aaron Gordon finally had his signature moment and put the Nuggets on the verge of a title.
Rob Mahoney says the Heat have no answer for the problems Gordon presents.
Manny Navarro says it’s time for Pat Riley to go trade for Damian Lillard
(Top photo: Miami Herald / Getty Images)