Very obviously, Jimmy Butler is the heart and soul of Miami in the same manner Nikola Jokic is for Denver.
Butler is a journeyman who has worn uniforms for New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.
Before coming over to the Heat franchise, he had battled Spoelstra and his platoon in the EC in the past and had once muttered that he won’t ever play for Miami.
Today, he has sworn “over his dead body” that the Heat jersey will be his last in the NBA.
Dam Adebayo has been singing paeans to his buddy who has uncharacteristically blown hot and cold from the playoffs up to the best of seven championship setto against their Denver counterparts.
The Heat and Nuggets will cross swords anew today in Game 3 in Miami in what experts like to describe as “the pivotal” match.
Pivotal because whoever wins the third match takes the momentum while the loser is faced with utmost pressure.
Considering that Miami stole Game 2 as the Heat were visiting Mile High City, Butler and company will happily cherish how beating the Celtics in Boston twice (Games 1 & 2) was the saving grace that they are now in the finals.
Going 2-1 will be each coach’s objective.
As this is the Nuggets’ first NBA finals appearance in several decades, the loss they suffered at home – the first since Denver’s successful run in the quarterfinals and semifinals – to a certain extent, may have sapped their collective or individual optimism.
If you carefully review Game 2, Malone was outcoached by Spoelstra in a subtle kind of way. The latter rested
Butler, paced Adebayo and Robinson and gabe Vincent for the critical fourth period swing.
Spoelstra did not send back Butler, his ace gunner, till the 8-minute mark of the fourth where Miami’s tiny lead was being threatened to be overcome.
From the beginning, Spoelstra’s rotation ably rested his starting five and his inclusion of Kevin Love as a starter added more firepower and presence in the middle to counter the hulking Serbian star’s dominance.
Thus, Adebayo’s load was lessened and eased somewhat, giving him the opportunity to produce 21 pts (alongside Butler’s similar output).
Denver must find someone who can stop Heat guard Duncan Robinson whose lethal sniping from beyond the arc stymied the Nuggets’ offense.
The Nuggets were initially able to limit Butler’s prolific scoring in Game 1 but there are more headaches coming up for Malone.
Still a fifty-fifty though, if you ask me. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com). GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
