After putting the Miami Heat’s defense to the test in Game 1, when he finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, Miami decided to change things up in Game 2, placing Kevin Love in the starting lineup to give their frontcourt more bulk.
Jokic finished with 41 points and 11 rebounds, showing that the move had no effect on his scoring, but it did limit his ability to create offense. In fact, he only had four assists for the game, which was a record low for him in a postseason game.
“That is an absurd… That’s what the untrained eye sees, according to Spoelstra.
“This man is a fantastic athlete. He has become the world’s best player twice in the last two seasons. You can’t suddenly decide to turn him into a scorer. They don’t play like that.”
The idea of letting Jokic score and making his teammates earn their own scoring opportunities has some merit, notwithstanding Spoelstra’s remarks.
The data supports it.
Regarding his poor assist totals, he responded, “To be honest, I don’t know the answer,” in the postgame interview.
“I was just playing, I don’t think when I’m playing about stats or whatever.”
The Nuggets are now headed to Miami in an attempt to reclaim home-court advantage, thus the chess match between the two teams will only get more intense as the series progresses.
The third game will take place in Miami on Wednesday, June 7, with a tip-off time of 8:30 p.m. ET.
Although Jokic is arguably the finest zone-busting player in the NBA, Miami frequently relies on their zone defense. His playmaking and vision serve as the foundation of the Nuggets’ attack, setting up open opportunities for his teammates.
But Jokic was unfazed by any changes to the game’s design in Game 2.
In the playoffs, the Nuggets are 0-3 when Jokic scores forty points or more, 4-4 when he scores thirty points or more, and 9-0 when he scores less than thirty.
The idea of letting Jokic score and making his teammates earn their own scoring opportunities has some merit, notwithstanding Spoelstra’s remarks.
The data supports it.
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