"We can't let them dictate the game," said Adebayo. Highsmith, who took both of Miami's foul shots, described the free-throw discrepancy as "interesting," but the most curious part about it was how little force the usually brutish Heat applied when faced with the length of a much larger team. The game was over at the half, and in the end, the Nuggets blocked twice as many shots as the Heat attempted free throws - two, the lowest single-game total in Finals history. We are an aggressive, attacking team, and so if we are not getting those kind of opportunities at the rim or at the free-throw line, we have to find different ways to be able to do it." "Things have to be done with a lot more intention and a lot more pace, a lot more detail. "You have to credit them with their size and really protecting the paint and bringing a third defender," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the loss. Butler, whose confidence brimmed in Miami's conference finals victory against the Boston Celtics, was hesitant to attack Jokić - never known for his rim protection - if only because the length of Gordon and Porter usually steered him into a forest of towering limbs. On the other end of the floor, Denver dared Adebayo to shoot over Jokić from 7-to-15 feet, and he obliged, attempting 16 of this 25 shots from that range. Jokić and Murray combined for 11 of Denver's 13 points over the final five minutes of the second quarter - the other two on another Gordon post-up in the paint - taking the lead to 59-42 by the break. They worked switches onto Haywood Highsmith, where Jokić bodied the generously listed 6-7 journeyman into the basket or found Murray dashing to his spot on the arc, again catching Adebayo between the rim and the perimeter. It was a clinic, and the vaunted Jokić-Murray two-man game had barely gotten started. "When he's doing that, he's helping us a lot just being on the wing."Įven the ageless Jeff Green felt comfortable enough posting Adebayo for a second-quarter turnaround.ĭenver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić posts up Miami Heat counterpart Bam Adebayo during the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. "He's 6-10, he's doing more than just knocking down shots, and that's dangerous," Murray said of Porter after the two combined for 40 points. In between, he ran free from Lowry for a pair of dunks to which Adebayo could not recover in time. He drilled a 3 over the outstretched arms of Jimmy Butler and saw only daylight for another over 6-foot Kyle Lowry, pushing Denver's lead to 11 early in the second quarter. It was 6-10 wing Michael Porter Jr.'s turn next. But, you know, it's a long series, first to four wins, adjustments will be made, and we'll learn from this loss." They had a couple layups on me early that we had to adjust to. "We had to adjust to their physicality early, especially myself. "They are a physical group," said Vincent, one of few bright spots offensively for Miami. That leaves no protection at the rim, where Jokić found his 6-4 point guard, Jamal Murray, for two first-quarter cutting dunks that the shorter Vincent could only watch from behind. Jokić's unique ability to space and see the floor with size - he's shooting 47.5% from 3-point range and averaging a playoff-best 10.5 assists per game, pulls Adebayo from the basket, because the Heat have nobody else to guard him.
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