Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry made a vow to Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil star Neymar after Friday’s defeat to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
The former Barcelona forward was in attendance at Kaseya Center alongside Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr as the Heat suffered a 108-95 defeat. The result means the Nuggets have taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Neymar made his way to the locker room after the game and, according to Bleacher Report, former Toronto Raptors star Lowry made a promise to the 31-year-old while shaking his hand.
“We’ll be back for Game Six,” Lowry told him, with the Nuggets just one win away from ending the series. “We’ll see you then.”
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been the men to do the damage for the Nuggets throughout the post-season, but Friday’s win was the product an all-round team performance, with defensive talisman Aaron Gordon scoring a game-leading 27 points while Bruce Brown Jr went for 21 in just 30 minutes off the bench.
Lowry hit back at suggestions that the Heat are being outclassed by the Nuggets and he insisted they will fight back.
“We’ve been in this situation the entire playoffs where people have counted us out and said we’re an undrafted team, but we are in the NBA Finals for a damn reason,” he said. “I don’t think we listen to the noise because, at the end of the day, a team is 15 deep.”
The Heat are in a deep hole after back-to-back home defeats to the Nuggets, who can clinch the first NBA title in franchise history when the series reverts to Ball Arena on Monday night.
It would take a complete capitulation from Denver to lose control of the series from here, but Heat leader Udonis Haslem believes in his teammates.
“We’ve been down this road before,” he said. “If there’s anybody that can go to Denver and get a win, it’s us.
“You allow yourself to be frustrated tonight. But when you wake up, that shit is over and we focus on Game Five. A closeout game is the hardest game to win. We’ll be up for the challenge.”
Neymar and Vinicius Jr were not the only celebrities in town for a star-studded night in Miami, with former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba posing for pictures with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor was also in attendance on Friday night, getting into a scrap with Heat mascot Burnie in a marketing stunt, while Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr and musicians Lil Wayne, J Balvin and Flo Rida were also sitting courtside.