In Game 1, Miami broke a 40-year old record
The Heat only shot 2 free throws in the first game of the NBA Finals, why?
The Heat's two free throw attempts in Game 1 are the fewest in NBA Finals history, breaking a 40-year record held by the Lakers, who shot only 5 in a Finals game in 1983.
What are the reasons behind this?
Altitude
If you’ve ever wondered why the Nuggets have “5280” printed on their court, it’s to represents the city of Denver’s altitude at 5,280 feet or one mile above sea level (Hence why Denver is known as the “Mile High City”). Naturally, being so high above sea level, the oxygen is thinner at the home of the Nuggets than it is in any other arena.
Some have pointed to this as the reason for Miami’s struggles, saying that the Joker’s side have an unfair home-court advantage. This could not be further from the truth.
The Denver Nuggets have been in the NBA since 1976, and yet the 2023 NBA Finals are the franchise’s first appearance on the biggest stage in basketball. If the home-court advantage from the altitude made so much of a difference, the Nuggets would be in the Finals year-after-year picking up championships like never seen before. To suggest this as the reason for Miami’s struggles is a disservice to the great game plan executed by the team (more on that later).
Tiredness
The Heat held a 3-0 lead against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, however the Celtics fought back to tie the series 3-3, meaning whilst Denver had a week of rest, Miami was playing a hard-fought series which ended on Monday night. Following the Game 7 win, the Heat took a 5 hour flight from Boston to Denver which is 1754 away. Landing in the Mile High City in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the team would have got a limited rest before having to start the media obligations that come along with the NBA Finals. Hours of interviews and photoshoots on Tuesday and Wednesday, coupled with film sessions and team practices, meant limited time for rest and recovery.
It’s worth noting, however, that NBA players are some of the best athletes in the world. Much like with altitude, the lack of rest wouldn’t affect them as much as you’d think as the adrenaline of playing in the NBA Finals would keep them driven.
Mental Fatigue
Having said that, the mental toll of playing such an intense series against Boston that went down to the wire (after looking like they’d be victorious in Game 6 before a Derrick White buzzer-beater) the Heat may be mentally drained. Miami had to not only travel to Denver, but also adjust to a new timezone, and with the quick turnaround between games, may not have had time to mentally prepare themselves for the NBA Finals. On The Hoop Genius Podcast, 3x NBA champion BJ Armstrong said that this would be a 6 game series in Miami’s eyes - as Game 1 would inevitably be a write-off due to all of these factors.
The REAL Reason
Whilst the above factors may have minor impacts, the biggest reason for Miami not getting to the line is the defensive game-plan implemented by the Nuggets. The Heat rely on players like Jimmy Butler collapsing the defence and kicking the ball out where shooters can be open or pass the ball to find the best available shot. This didn’t happen at all in Game 1, and even some of the open looks fell short as they weren’t in their natural rhythm.
The inability, of Butler especially, to even attempt 1 free throw is significant as no free throws means less time for the Heat defence to get set up. In yesterday’s video, I showed how Aaron Gordon used this to his advantage to find mis-matches and score easy baskets. In today’s video, I broke down the defensive schemes implemented by Denver that won them the game. Check it out below.
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