The Heat Have the Heart
Game 1 of the NBA Finals took place the other night and man was it ugly. The Heat got absolutely demolished in a sight that made all Celtics fans weep. Imagine having the chance to take place in an all-time rivalry, losing to the five seed in six, and then seeing them put up no fight in the first game of the series. Obviously, there were tons of injuries, but it’s just a tough pill to swallow for Boston.
My Celtics fandom aside, I think the people saying that this series is over are insane. After what Miami has done throughout these playoffs I think it’s outright disrespectful to call this series over after one game. That being said, it really does depend on the status of Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo for Game 2, who are both listed as doubtful.
Regardless, I still think the Heat have a chance to win. Even if those two guys don’t play, you have to think of it this way… In Game 1 the Lakers shot almost 40% from three, while the Heat shot just over 30%. That’s almost the exact opposite of what everyone expected to happen. Los Angeles is not a great shooting team, while Miami is one of the best. When the Heat struggle to shoot, they lose, but they rarely struggle for long.
All it’s going to take for Miami to get right back into this series is for them to start hitting their shots. Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Kelly Olynyk were all as cold as ice from three in the first game. I’ve seen enough of those guys play to know that they’re going to want to bounce back stronger. Robinson is already regarded as one of the best shooters in the league, so I expect a big-time game from him in Game 2.
No one thought this Miami team would get far in the playoffs, let alone be playing in the Finals. They have the most heart in the NBA, and the player with the best attitude for winning basketball - Jimmy Butler. That guy is not going to go down without a fight and because of that, I know Miami won’t either.
Game 2 is tonight at 9:00 PM EST. Miami is going to win by five or less while the Lakers struggle to shoot the ball. Anthony Davis is going to dominate, as usual, LeBron James will have a low-scoring triple-double, but the Heat’s shooting will be too much as LA’s role players will lose their touch. You heard it here first.
