“Miami came in here and outworked us, and we were by far our least disciplined game of these 16 or 17 playoff games, whatever it is now. “I asked them, you guys tell me why they lost, and they knew the answer,” Malone said. Malone called out his team, knowing Miami has taken control with the next two games at Kaseya Center and starting shooting guard Tyler Herro potentially making his long-awaited return. They needed to be sharp at the finish but they played casually and timidly. The Nuggets are the latest team to be befuddled by Miami’s unrelenting style. How will Mike Malone and the Nuggets respond in Game 3? Justin Edmonds/Getty That to me is really, really perplexing, disappointing.” “We had guys out there that were just feeling sorry for themselves for not making shots or thinking they can just turn it on or off, this is not the preseason, this is not the regular season. You guys probably thought I was just making up some story line after Game 1 when I said we didn’t play well. “This is the NBA Finals, we are talking about effort that’s a huge concern of mine. He didn’t like his team’s energy and laidback approach in the opening minutes, and now they’ve lost home-court advantage. Yes, other teams besides the Celtics appear to have effort issues against the Heat. Malone, never one to mask his emotions, tore into his team for lack of effort. Jimmy Butler, who again struggled offensively, was a plus-3 but he delivered a timely 3-pointer to give the Heat a 6-point lead in the fourth. Four of five Miami starterswere at least plus-14. And the starters - including Jokic - are getting punished by their Miami counterparts. Jokic was the lone Nugget to develop offensive rhythm. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was lambasted for not having his team prepared for the zone, but this defense is difficult to figure, especially when shooters aren’t confident. Their zone defense made the Nuggets passive, relying on Jokic to make plays. The Heat shot 68.8 percent in the final period. They fell asleep in the fourth quarter and allowed Miami to take control with its relentlessness. Murray missed and the Nuggets didn’t deserve such late-game dramatics. He needed one more at the buzzer after Malone declined to call a timeout after a Denver rebound. Nikola Jokic scored 41 points, but didn't have much help. The Heat shut down all of his complements, including Jamal Murray, who was held to 10 points until the final six minutes. Jokic scored 28 of Denver’s 51 second-half points. But those awkward-looking shots fell through the hoop. Jokic scored 41 points, looking like the best player on Earth with his array of wacky moves that look like an over-the-hill guy at Studio 54. The Nuggets didn’t play much better in Game 2. Meanwhile, Denver coach Mike Malone lamented his team’s subpar Game 1 performance despite the victory. That is when you dream about, so it doesn’t make any sense to get here and not enjoy it.” This is an incredible stage to be on as a player. I feel like I play my best when I’m having fun, and I’m always going to try to be respectful with it but having fun and enjoying just this stage. To be honest, I don’t get a lot of moments in the season to break that one out so when you get one, you’ve got to try to take advantage of it, I guess. “I surprised myself with the fact that I pulled that one out,” Robinson said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |