A slight glance at the television or a simple listen to sports talk pundits and the consensus is the Miami Heat have already lost the NBA Finals after Game 1. Showing either immense respect for the Denver Nuggets or a lack thereof for coach Erik Spoelstra’s ability to adjust.
Usually, being on the other end of an 11-point victory would not cause such early certainty. However, the one-sided nature of the first three quarters trained eyes to view the game as worse than it was. That means ignoring the fourth quarter rallies and the self-inflicted holes the Heat could easily attempt to seal.
One obvious issue being the ability to sink open shots.
The combination of Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson went 2-for-23 from the field and 2-for-16 from three. Including 16 uncontested shots from beyond the arch, as per Nuggets coach Michael Malone. Not to mention, Bam Adebayo’s stellar 26-point performance came on 25 attempts.
While Miami’s shooting was not ideal, for most of the team, the shot selection was not all bad. And no one expects the makes to remain so inconsistent. Yet, there are other things the Heat can work on to make the odds of evening the series more tangible.
Here are some of the ways.