3 things the Heat need to do to bounce back and steal Game 2
How the Heat can steal Game 2: 1. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler has had one of the greatest playoff runs by a player in NBA history. What he and the Heat have done these playoffs is incomprehensible. They couldn’t have had their success without Butler’s performance in the playoffs — he has been averaging 27.6 points, 7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2 steals on 48/36/81 splits.
Butler has been all-time great in the playoffs and the Heat go as he goes. But in Game 1, Butler did not go. He had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists on 6-of-14 shooting and shockingly, did not take a single free throw. If the Heat want to steal Game 2 or in fact win this series, Butler is going to have to be all-time all the time.
Nikola Jokic is by far the best player in this series and in the playoffs averaging 29.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 10.8 assists on 54/47/79 splits. Then in Game 1, Jokic kind of added a quiet game where he had 27 points on 12 shots along with 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
In some capacity, Jimmy Butler is going to have to match what Jokic is going to do in the Finals. If Butler plays how he played in Game 1 and if Jokic continues to play how he has played in the playoffs, the Nuggets will sweep the series.
The Heat can not afford another Jimmy Butler no-show in this series and especially in Game 2.
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