Author: Monojit Mandal
In a surprising turnaround, the Miami Heat are just three wins away from winning the NBA title, after a remarkable campaign that included a surprising triumph over the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The eighth-place Heat now have a golden opportunity to take a 2-1 series lead over Western Conference powerhouse the Denver Nuggets as they prepare to host Game 3 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
In an impressive display of resilience,
the Heat snatched home-court advantage from the Nuggets with a hard-fought 111-108 victory in Game 2 on Sunday
. Despite facing a 15-point deficit, Miami pulled off an admirable comeback, handing the Nuggets their first home loss in 10 playoff games this season.
With Game 4 also set to take place in Miami, the Heat find themselves in an enviable position. If they maintain their dominance, they will return to Denver for Game 5, within touching distance of securing the series.
Gabe Vincent, a surprise star for the Heat in the playoffs, remains focused on the immediate task at hand. Throughout the series, Vincent has recorded an impressive average of 21 points per game, hitting 9 of his 16 total 3-point attempts. The uncontracted UC Santa Barbara player has recorded double-digit points in each of his last six playoff appearances.
On the other side, the two-time MVP of the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic, had a stellar performance, racking up an impressive 41 points. Despite his excellent contribution, the Nuggets were unable to force overtime when Jamal Murray’s last shot missed the target at the end of the period. Murray, however, considered the attempt to be a “good look”.
Murray expressed his disappointment with his team’s overall effort, especially after winning the opening game of the series 104-93
but then suffering their first home defeat of the post-season.
The Heat managed to secure the division in Denver, despite their star, Jimmy Butler, having a modest start to the series. Butler, who only managed 13 points in the opening game, bounced back in Game 2, contributing 21 points and nine assists. However, his shooting accuracy hasn’t been the best, with a field goal percentage of just 39.4% (13 of 33), and he’s only hit five free throws so far.
Even so, Butler wasn’t intimidated by his 17.0-point scoring average against the Nuggets, after reaching a franchise playoff record of 56 points during Game 4 of the series with Milwaukee.
Unfortunately for the Heat, point guard Tyler Herro, who suffered a right hand injury on April 16, was ruled out of Game 3. However, Herro’s return seems imminent, as he took part in Tuesday’s training session and continues to make progress towards a full recovery.