Finals Game Two: The Heat is On

There were people saying that the Denver Nuggets didn't play too well during Game One, but from what I saw, they played well enough. They never trailed for the whole game. The Miami Heat looked so lost. Denver ended up winning by double digits to open this year's NBA Finals. My prediction was "Nuggets in six," but honestly, I left Game One actually doubting that the Heat would win a game.

Lo and behold, that's why the Finals is best-of-seven.

Game Two began with the Heat scoring the first seven points, and they were continuing to dominate, but the tail end of the first quarter saw Denver start to wake up. Miami led by as many as 11 to start things off, and they had a three-point advantage after the first frame, but the second quarter was all Nuggets. Denver managed to go from down 11 to up by 12, but their halftime lead was six. The Nuggets stayed strong in the third quarter, despite Miami's attempts to get back on track, and it was mainly due to Nikola Jokic's 18 points in the frame. So Denver was up eight heading into the final 12 minutes, and again, I was reiterating my doubts regarding Miami actually winning a game in this series.

Lo and behold, that's why they play four quarters.

So a funny thing happened. The Heat started to nibble at their deficit, until it was suddenly gone. Miami took their first lead since early in the second, but even so, there was a lot of time left. However, the Heat continued to nail down the shots and build their lead, while the Nuggets looked completely lost. Denver did manage to bounce back and bring it to within three, and after Miami failed to put it away offensively, they would have to do it defensively. Jamal Murray had the ball with the final seconds ticking away, but his attempt to force overtime missed.

The Heat won, 111-108, and after two games, the Finals are split even. Gabe Vincent actually led the team with 23 points, and regarding the dynamic duo, Jimmy Butler had 21 points and nine assists, while Bam Adebayo had 21 points and nine rebounds. So this was a team effort this time. The main thing that led the way for the Heat was their 3-point shooting; they went 17/35 from behind the arc, nearly 50%! That was a problem for the Heat in Game One. As for the Nuggets, Jokic had 41 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Everyone says that Jamal Murray didn't show up, but he had 18 points and 10 assists. The real no-show for the Nuggets was Aaron Gordon, only 12 points in 38 minutes. Miami outscored Denver, 36-25, in the fourth quarter--that was another difference.

So the Heat were in danger of falling behind 2-0 despite a strong start, but they ended up finishing strong to even the Finals. Honestly, if Miami had lost this game, I'd call it. Series over. Now, we he have something here. It's 1-1, and the Finals is now a best-of-five. Game Three is Wednesday in Miami, and it begins a golden chance for the Heat to take control of the Finals. As for the Nuggets, they lost at home for the first time in this year's playoffs. They will need a big bounce back game if they want to move closer to their first-ever NBA Championship.

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