2023 NBA Finals: What will it take for the Miami Heat to win it all?
USA TODAY Sports Jeff Zillgitt explains that yes the Miami Heat are facing an uphill battle heading into the NBA Finals against the talented Denver Nuggets. But don’t count them out.
Sports Pulse
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat for Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals. The Nuggets hold a 1-0 series lead over the Heat after a decisive Game 1 victory on Thursday. Denver is making their first Finals appearance, while Miami is playing in its seventh franchise appearance and its first since the 2020 bubble season.
USA TODAY Sports will bring you the latest news, updates, analysis and more throughout Game 2. Follow along.
When is Game 2 of the NBA Finals?
The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets tip off Game 2 at 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 14 The game is at Ball Arena in Denver.
How does Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. focus in NBA Finals? By writing in gratitude journal.
Mornings are the best time for Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. to open a journal and begin writing. He uses pen and paper and says it’s good for his mind and body.
“Definitely try to take time to reflect and be grateful,” Porter said. “I try to do gratefulness journaling and just reflect during this journey on all the things there are to be grateful for, but at the same time just stay hungry, keep working, never let up.”
There’s plenty of which Porter has to be grateful. He plays a significant role for the Nuggets.
Porter had 14 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in Denver’s Game 1 104-93 victory Thursday. In the playoffs, Porter averages 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds and shoots 44.3% from the field and 38.6% on 3-pointers.
On an underappreciated team, the 6-10 Porter is an underappreciated part of the success, bringing a gifted offensive game and improved defensive routine to a team that is playing great basketball at the perfect time.
Read Jeff Zillgitt’s full feature on Porter Jr. here.
Can Heat slow potent Nuggets? ‘We’re definitely going to have to go to school on it’
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra likes to talk about going “into the cave” with his coaching staff to prepare for the next game.
They find answers in that room, and that’s why the eighth-seeded Heat are in the NBA Finals.
After Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, endless time in the cave might not be enough to solve Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Jokic registered his NBA-record ninth triple-double in a single postseason and 14th overall with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Murray had 26 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
The Heat can allow one of those players to have that kind of game but not both — at least if they want to have a chance at winning the title.
“We’re definitely going to have to go to school on it,” Spoelstra said.
Miami might not have the personnel, especially size-wise, to do much about it in this series. Of course, Spoelstra and his staff will try, but it’s a puzzle no team in the playoffs has solved. — Jeff Zillgitt
Mile-High NBA advantage: Denver altitude helps Nuggets go unbeaten at home in playoffs
Joking around before the start of the NBA Finals, Charles Barkley and Grant Hill took hits from oxygen masks they brought onto the set for a pregame TV show.
But the thin air in Denver is no joke. There’s a reason it’s known as the Mile High City.
The city sits 5,280 feet above sea level and there’s plenty of science that shows just how altitude impacts any athlete — including basketball players. The Denver Nuggets have been using the lung-searing elevation to their advantage for years — especially during these playoffs.
With their 104-93 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday, the Nuggets improved to 9-0 at home during their postseason run. Yes, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and friends have a lot to do with it. But altitude deserves an assist. The Nuggets try to push the pace to make the Heat feel the burn coming in from sea level. — Pat Graham, Associated Press
With escape room planned, Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler delivers masterclass in leadership
The weight of a team is never on one person. That weight is not distributed evenly either. For the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler absorbs the heft of championship expectations. He invites the burden, wants the responsibility.
It’s how he pushed and pulled, carried and dragged the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals, to seven games against Boston in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, to this season’s seven-game victory against the Celtics in the conference finals and to this season’s Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
Butler can’t win the NBA Finals against the Nuggets by himself, but the Heat also can’t win the title with Butler having the performance he did in Denver’s 104-93 victory in Game 1 on Thursday.
He had an unaffecting 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He knows he needs to be better in Game 2 on Sunday in Denver.
“I just think I’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball, demanding the ball, being more aggressive (at the rim),” Butler said. “That’s just that, and that will change come Game 2. …
“They definitely follow suit whenever I’m aggressive on both sides of the ball. So I have to be the one to come out and kick that off the right way, which I will, and we’ll see where we end up.”
Read Jeff Zillgitt’s full piece on Butler here.
How to watch Game 2 NBA Finals
Every NBA Finals game will air nationally on ABC and can be live streamed via Watch ESPN and the ESPN app. Every game will also air on ESPN Deportes. You can live stream the game on Hulu with live TV, ESPN, DirecTV Stream and YouTubeTV.
NBA Finals schedule 2023
Here is the full schedule:
- Game 1: Nuggets 104, Heat 93
- Game 2: Nuggets vs. Heat | Sunday, June 4 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Game 3: Heat vs. Nuggets | Wednesday, June 7 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Game 4: Heat vs. Nuggets | Friday, June 9 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Game 5: Nuggets vs. Heat | Monday, June 12 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) *
- Game 6: Heat vs. Nuggets | Thursday, June 15 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) *
- Game 7: Nuggets vs. Heat | Sunday, June 18 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC) *
*if necessary
Who is favored to win the NBA Finals?
Tipico Sportsbook has the spread favoring Denver by 8.5 points over Miami. They have the moneyline for Miami set at +300 and for Denver set at –360. They have the over/under for total points set at 215.5.
Nuggets vs. Heat prediction
The Heat will have trouble stopping both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and what it takes to defend them has an impact on Miami’s offense. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin will be tasked with heavy lifting defensively. Denver’s offense is relentless with its options, and that will wear down Miami in the series. As long as the Nuggets aren’t complacent, this is a series they should win. Prediction: Nuggets win the series in five games. — Jeff Zillgitt
