DENVER — And just like that, the Miami Heat have the Denver Nuggets right where they want them.
In Game 2 of Sunday night’s NBA Finals, the Heat’s 111-108 win did several things at once.
It ended this series with 1:1. It shattered the illusion for whoever still existed that this would be easy, straightforward, and safe for Denver. It filled Miami with unprecedented confidence — or reminded us the team was already there.
They have, as their head coach is fond of saying, the ability to “do it the hard way,” and they’ve done just that again.
And it set Miami on the same path that got them here in the first place.
The eighth-seeded Miamis also drew 1-1 in the first two series of this postseason, first against the Milwaukee Bucks and then against the New York Knicks. In both cases, doubts also remained about their ability to turn those early-series stalemates into three more victories.
They eventually defeated Milwaukee by five and New York by six.
“Our boys love to compete. They love to show themselves in those moments of truth,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Fortunately, we were able to make a lot of great plays in defence, and then we made a lot of contributions that you’ll need against a side like this.”
In many ways, Miami once again showed the pattern of play that brought them here. A refusal to allow doubts to arise, which was first expressed by Max Strus on Sunday. Strus was 0 for 10 in Game 1, including 0 for 9 from deep, but he started Game 2 with a dizzying display of confidence, going 4-of-7 on threes in the first quarter and scoring 12 points. He set the tone for the rest of his team for the rest of the evening.
There was Gabe Vincent, who had his own troubles in Game 1, scoring 8/12 for 23 points.
And there was Jimmy Butler, scoring eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Miami turned an eight-point deficit into a series-changing win.
The Nuggets kept taking the lead, and by that point it seemed like they were on a path that would put them halfway to the championship. Denver held a seven lead early in the second quarter. Then 15 towards the end of the frame. He then accumulated a handful of points for most of the third quarter and closed out the fourth quarter with eight points.
And yet Miami endured, never fully surrendering to what many others might have felt was inevitable.
“I asked the team. I asked her: ‘Will you tell me why we lost?’ And they knew the answer,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “Miami came in here and passed us and we were by far the least disciplined game of those 16 or 17 playoff games, whatever it is now. So many glitches.”
“They took advantage of every mishap we made and scored a goal,” he continued. “If we’re going to try to get down and take back control of this series and regain home field advantage, we need to overtake Miami, which we failed to do tonight.”
The Heat simply dominated the game when it mattered, as they have consistently done this postseason. The will, the belief and the tenacity of the team have been shown once again.
Throughout the night, they also kept confusing Nuggets players who weren’t named Nikola Jokic. The two-time MVP had 41 points and 11 rebounds. But that’s always been part of the plan: let Jokic score if you have to, but stop the other star wannabes from shining.
The Heat defense did just that. Despite putting on a show in the fourth quarter and throwing some big throws to close Denver, Jamal Murray missed the potentially game-winning shot that would have sent the game into overtime. But Miami had largely rendered him ineffective for most of the competition, as evidenced by his 18-point evening.
Momentum is a powerful thing. This also applies to faith when it is genuine and widespread.
Miami now has both.