The Miami Heat have the chance to get their first win in the 2023 NBA Finals tonight.
The Denver Nuggets got a comfortable win in Game 1 of the series behind Nikola Jokic’s triple-double and Jamal Murray’s double-double.
This team remains confident ahead of Game 2, and even though coach Michael Malone urged them to do a better job defensively, he recently admitted the Nuggets can leave Bam Adebayo open to win games.
Malone said that if Bam takes 26 shots to score 25 points, that’s something the Nuggets can live with.
Michael Malone says the Nuggets will live with Bam Adebayo taking 25 shots to score 26 points
“We didn’t go in saying we’re gonna make Bam Adebayo beat us. We have great respect for Bam Adebayo. But if you’re gonna score 26 points on 25 shots, that’s something we can live… pic.twitter.com/eZvQiUY2k5
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 4, 2023
Denver has played great basketball during the 2023 postseason and this team keeps getting better every round
They’re considered big favorites over the Heat for this series and after Game 1, not many people think Miami can win more than one game.
Bam Adebayo has been criticized for his lack of aggressiveness on the court.
In the Finals opener, he shot 13/25 from the field, adding 13 rebounds.
The big man knows he’s a key piece in the Heat’s hopes to win it all, and if he’s serious about winning the championship, he must step up.
It won’t be easy, as the Nuggets are doing a great job on both ends of the court.
Malone thinks that Adebayo taking all these shots can be beneficial for his team, but Erik Spoelstra may have different plans for Game 2.
This series can become a chess match or a one-sided matchup that sees the Nuggets sweeping the Heat.
Game 2 will be important for both teams, as they want to take the momentum before going to Miami for Games 3 and 4.
NEXT: Analyst Says The Series Will Be Over Soon For The Heat
