2024 NBA Season

[OgNasty]

Nothing like a couple days with no basketball to build some excitement. I’m still thinking that Denver has this series but at least Miami got a chance to catch their breath a little bit. Hopefully we can see some good games and the Nuggets don’t sweep another team. I’m starting to fear that the end of this season is approaching way too quickly.

[Japinat]

I don't write that much in this section but what Jokic is doing is really something new, the team looks like one, they have good synergy the ball is going fast and Jokic is perfect center figure for that type of play. I think Nuggets will win the series in convincing fashion.

The first match of the finals has officially gone down in history. Nikola Jokic became the center with the most assists in a single game in NBA Finals history with 14 assists. Also Jokic became the second player in history to score a triple-double in his first game in the NBA Finals. The player who will carry the Nuggets to the finals is already clear. Jokic constantly adds value to his team and i sense a Tim Duncan vibe in him. The Nuggets are very good as a team and their block and steal rates are great. The Miami Heat were comfortable as if they were in a friendly match and were the losing side. The Nuggets dominated the game from start to finish and i think it will be like that throughout the series. Maybe they can reach the championship even without losing in the series.

No surprises here, he said previously in many interviews that he pattern his game on Tim Duncan, but I guess he is a better version of Tim because he can pass the ball and like to involved his team mates more. But the difference is that Tim has many rings and that the San Antonio Spurs are one of the most dominant teams in the 2000's together with the Lakers because of Duncan's play and leadership.

And who knows, maybe the Nuggets if ever they won their first ring will also start a franchise and dynasty like his idol.

So let's see, they have build a momentum and a blue print on how to beat a tough team in Miami Heat.

A better version of Tim, I can agree with that. Jokic talent and skills are really special.

We see him passing the ball and creating his own plays. For me, he is just like a combination of Tim and Dirk
someone who can shoot the ball but also have that good eyesight to find their teammates and work with them
as a playmaker. Let see if how far they'll go after finally making another history to win the first ever title for the
franchise.

As everybody described about Nikola Jokic, I also have no doubts that this man is the modern center and a superstar of his own era.

It's just too hard not to see how easy and efficiently he pull almost all the strings in a game, from leading the assists, leading the rebounds, the man can also do his job either shooting from the paint or downtown which is a rare sight to see from a man who barely jumps just to secure a ball or to shoot long three's beyond the arc. With or without Jamal Murray, the man can pretty much handle and carry the team in his back while having fun.

[Marvell1]

Nothing like a couple days with no basketball to build some excitement. I’m still thinking that Denver has this series but at least Miami got a chance to catch their breath a little bit. Hopefully we can see some good games and the Nuggets don’t sweep another team. I’m starting to fear that the end of this season is approaching way too quickly.

So, the Nuggets are going to be the winners in the end as well. Actully, a 1-0 lead is nothing to be excited about, especially when you're playing in a final. As far as I am concerned, this is not going to be a bad thing for the Nuggets since the break will benefit both teams. However, I do agree that this break was more necessary for the Miami Heat than for the Nuggets. I don't think it is going to be a sweep. I actually trust the Miami Heat to win the next game, to be honest. The lightly good of Miami Heat winning the next game is not that low in my opinion.

[xzone]

Nothing like a couple days with no basketball to build some excitement. I’m still thinking that Denver has this series but at least Miami got a chance to catch their breath a little bit. Hopefully we can see some good games and the Nuggets don’t sweep another team. I’m starting to fear that the end of this season is approaching way too quickly.

If Jokic continues to play like this, the series may not last long. The more matches we watch, the better it will be for us, I hope we will watch a series that continues until the last game. But to be honest I started to get a little scared after the first game, it seems like Miami is likely to lose the final.
If we see the Denver Nuggets dominance again in the next game, it means the end of the season is approaching for Miami

[BitcoinAccepted]

The Denver Nuggets have been very good so far. And won 4-0 in the semi-finals? That tall Croat is very good. According to many, the best player in the NBA right now. I don't think the best player, but the most valuable player in the NBA. Technically there are better players or at least to watch. But the Nuggets also seem to me to be the big favorite in the final. The fact whether they play at home or away doesn't seem to matter much to this team either. Tomorrow night game 2.

[harizen]

Maybe if the series shifts to the home court of the Miami Heat, we can see how good the Nuggets team really is. But for now game 2 will still be in their home court, so they are that confident to go up 2-0. But the Heat is not done in this series yet, I mean they have been in this situation before and for sure they will need to come up with another strategy collectively with Jimmy as their leader.

Honestly, I don't consider home-court advantage as a big factor in these playoffs, for most teams, especially if we refer to both Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. We should clearly see already that the Nuggets are already good regardless of playing at home or away. If they will win again in Game 2, the homecourt advantage just plays a small role as they won purely thru their overall good performance.

Others keep saying too that in order for Miami Heat to at least take over Nuggets, Jimmy Butler needs to turn beast mode. That's something he really should but to tell you guys, that is not enough as we are talking about dealing with the Denver Nuggets here. Miami Heat shouldn't be carried by their key scorer/s most of the time for the entire series. Denver Nuggets is a complete team right now and almost the entire starters are doing well. Miami Heat should also do the same, no matter what.

Remember that it's not just the losing team that is doing some adjustments every other game, the winning team is also doing the same.

[dimonstration]

The Denver Nuggets have been very good so far. And won 4-0 in the semi-finals? That tall Croat is very good. According to many, the best player in the NBA right now. I don't think the best player, but the most valuable player in the NBA. Technically there are better players or at least to watch.

Jokic is not Croatian but a Serbian. Being most valuable player means he is the current best on the league because of his contribution to win the game. Players like Lebron can be considered as best player due to his past performance but he is not the best on current league because he failed to carry his team to championship.

But the Nuggets also seem to me to be the big favorite in the final. The fact whether they play at home or away doesn't seem to matter much to this team either. Tomorrow night game 2.

It’s obvious that they are the heavy favorite because they have a very strong line-up and consistent performance from regular season to playoffs. Jokic is unstoppable even against strong center like Davis and Ayton. Bam is the only player that can match Jokic on Heat. While Bam is inferior compared to Davis and Ayton.

[goinmerry]

Bam is the only player that can match Jokic on Heat. While Bam is inferior compared to Davis and Ayton.

Do you mean here by how Bam Adebayo putting the defense on Nikola Jokic? From a personal view, it's not even close to saying he's a match for Jokic.

Nikola Jokic is playing well even Adebayo is guarding him, and even against anyone on the Miami Heat. Did we even see Jokic struggling when Adebayo is defending him in Game 1 or by other Heat players? He was able to shoot 8 out of 12 field goal attempts in Game 1 and was sent to the free throw line grabbing 10 points out of 12 attempts. It's already showing that no defense is working against Jokic 1-on-1 and single-handled.

It needs two good defenders to make an attempt in slowing down Nikola Jokic, but that's not even sure if it will work. Even if the Heat were able successfully to slow him down, his scoring is the only one to be limited but he still can be a threat since he's a good playmaker and his average assists per game stats tell it all.

In several situations already when he's cornered, instead of forcing his way to the bucket, we will see him doing unexpected dishes to his teammates in a completely free zone shooting mode for an easy bucket. He is also good at low post especially against smaller than him therefore, 1-on-1 against Bam, he has the height advantage and can easily throw a floater in a post-up.

There is no one who can stop Jokic. If Heat will possibly be able to limit him in scoring, expect that he will instead have good stats in rebounds and assists.

[EFS]

Today is the only chance for Heat to keep their hopes up, if the series goes to 2-0 it's over mentally. They have to play extraordinary today. If they shoot bricks again behind the three then they have no chance. Martin, Robinson and Strus were unrecognizable in the first game. They can't rely on threes only. They should score from the paint and go to the free throw line more often. Heat gave up early in that game, they can't do that again. Nuggets rested well, now they are focused on winning the title and they know this is the most important game of the series. My money would be on Nuggets though.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Today is the only chance for Heat to keep their hopes up, if the series goes to 2-0 it's over mentally. They have to play extraordinary today. If they shoot bricks again behind the three then they have no chance. Martin, Robinson and Strus were unrecognizable in the first game. They can't rely on threes only. They should score from the paint and go to the free throw line more often. Heat gave up early in that game, they can't do that again. Nuggets rested well, now they are focused on winning the title and they know this is the most important game of the series. My money would be on Nuggets though.

Yes, I do agree  that this is a crucial game for the Heat. They haven't been in a situation like this before, in all of their series, they usually take game 1 and win. But this is very different situation now, if they lost then 2-0 going back to their home court and then all the pressures will be on their shoulders.

They will have to find a way to score in the paint, go to the free throw line. They shouldn't allow the Nuggets to control the game from the very beginning and then they do  the catch-up. Jimmy will have to score and be their main offensive man in the first half.

[Jating]

^^ Most likely it will be the Nuggets, maybe 6, or 5 will be the mark, at least give the Heat a chance to win at their homecourt and not be swept in the Finals.

I’m still on doubt about sureness of Nuggets winning the finals because I still didn’t see Jimmy Butler on fire. I will be convinced that Nuggets already got this finals if they will still defeat Miami while Butler is on clutch mode. But
Er is very cold on game 1 same with other players like Caleb Martin that kill Boston in game 7 with his accurate 3 pointer. I like to see a real clash and shut down before we conclude.

I understand that you think Miami Heat was ineffective and not at their best self and that is correct but the thing is, Nuggets made them play bad offensively because of number of factors. First of all, Nuggets are much bigger than Heat and it shows both offensively and defensively. They couldn't match up with Aaron Gordon for example. And if Adebayo goes to help, then there is open Jokic which is deadly for any team. He can score or  assist, just easy. I think we saw a huge difference between Nuggets and Heat performance-wise, both from physical difference and from the fact that Nuggets were well rested while Heat was worn out, naturally after a long series against Celtics. I also don't expect a big reaction from Heat after this point. Nuggets seem just much better.

Moving forward, it's going to be a battle of strategy. The Heat knows that they are no match because of the Nuggets height advantage, that's why they rely on their outside shooting which is non-existent on game 1. Just imagine if the shots are falling, it might have been a different outcome of the game. Maybe the Nuggets will post Jokic more to score, or Jimmy making those crucial shots. Still very early to predict how this series goes although majority thinks that it will be the Nuggets eventually winning in 6 games.

[BitcoinAccepted]

It's been an interesting match so far. The Denver Nuggets have really impressed this season. If you win 4-0 in the semi-finals, that also says something. And in the first game of the final they won very easily, we can say. The fact that the game was in Denver was of course a big advantage. Basketball is a sport in which the audience at home can be extremely important because almost the entire stadium is full of home supporters. It is also remarkable that there are almost never problems between the supporters. They should take that as an example in other sports.

[carlisle1]

Today is the only chance for Heat to keep their hopes up, if the series goes to 2-0 it's over mentally. They have to play extraordinary today. If they shoot bricks again behind the three then they have no chance. Martin, Robinson and Strus were unrecognizable in the first game. They can't rely on threes only. They should score from the paint and go to the free throw line more often. Heat gave up early in that game, they can't do that again. Nuggets rested well, now they are focused on winning the title and they know this is the most important game of the series. My money would be on Nuggets though.

Yes, I do agree  that this is a crucial game for the Heat. They haven't been in a situation like this before, in all of their series, they usually take game 1 and win. But this is very different situation now, if they lost then 2-0 going back to their home court and then all the pressures will be on their shoulders.

They will have to find a way to score in the paint, go to the free throw line. They shouldn't allow the Nuggets to control the game from the very beginning and then they do  the catch-up. Jimmy will have to score and be their main offensive man in the first half.

Yes, the early part of the should be a competition and not just allow Nuggets to over dominate them, the thing in game1
they allow the core players of Nuggets to establish the confidence.

If they will let that happen again without any competitions, Nugget will just do it again and again. They need to adjust and not to throw the ball.

Heat needs the best performances to everyone in trying to tie the series, else the chance that they might be swept is possible.

[Balmain]

Even without Nikola Jokic, Denver Nugget scores very easily and the other players do not have trouble scoring. Solid defense by Nikolo Jokic is more important for the team right now. Jokic's defense is not missing anything more valuable than his score, anyway, scoring points is for Denver right now. I can say that Denvar Nugget is still solid and comfortable in the top five. Forwards Bruce Brown, Michael Porter score well, both defensively is very well. Jimmy Butler said that Nikola Jokic was a good defender. I think he may be underestimating his other abilities because he can't score much, he is a player who plays according to his team according to his place, but I can say that he is a complete player for Jokic.

[fuguebtc]

Today is the only chance for Heat to keep their hopes up, if the series goes to 2-0 it's over mentally. They have to play extraordinary today. If they shoot bricks again behind the three then they have no chance. Martin, Robinson and Strus were unrecognizable in the first game. They can't rely on threes only. They should score from the paint and go to the free throw line more often. Heat gave up early in that game, they can't do that again. Nuggets rested well, now they are focused on winning the title and they know this is the most important game of the series. My money would be on Nuggets though.

Yes, I do agree  that this is a crucial game for the Heat. They haven't been in a situation like this before, in all of their series, they usually take game 1 and win. But this is very different situation now, if they lost then 2-0 going back to their home court and then all the pressures will be on their shoulders.
They will have to find a way to score in the paint, go to the free throw line. They shouldn't allow the Nuggets to control the game from the very beginning and then they do  the catch-up. Jimmy will have to score and be their main offensive man in the first half.

The Miami Heat definitely needs to win this game and make it 1-1. Otherwise, if the Nuggets go up by 2 games and it is going to be very hard for the Miami Heat to actually make a comeback. Considering the fact that the Nuggets are actually stronger on paper compared to Miami Heat, I believe Miami Heat is not going to give them any chance to win the second game. Miami Heat should be the aggressive one in this game. They should not let the Nuggets go ahead because if Miami Heat is interested in playing catch up they are not going to succeed in my opinion.

[Maslate]

Today is the only chance for Heat to keep their hopes up, if the series goes to 2-0 it's over mentally. They have to play extraordinary today. If they shoot bricks again behind the three then they have no chance. Martin, Robinson and Strus were unrecognizable in the first game. They can't rely on threes only. They should score from the paint and go to the free throw line more often. Heat gave up early in that game, they can't do that again. Nuggets rested well, now they are focused on winning the title and they know this is the most important game of the series. My money would be on Nuggets though.

Money towards the Nuggets is definitely a wise thing to do as in every angle we try to see, it is always the Nuggets who have the higher hand but considering that their ML is low, you need to have some handicap so that your profits are somehow higher compared to the money line. Besides, the Finals should be more fun and entertaining if both teams are competing fair with each other but I'm afraid that in this case, it will be too much too ask.

Regarding about that, I will try to bet during live games to enhance my chances and I'm certain enough that it would be the Nuggets who will take the win in the 2nd game. But we will see what will happen in the first quarter though.

[Zackgeno96]

I recently saw a documentary on Netflix about the NBA competition and how the stars had all the trouble in the world to qualify for the Olympic Games in the years from 2002 to 2008. In the end, under the influence of Kobe Bryant, the To lead Americans to the title at the Olympic games in 2008. This competition was so strong for a while that it was not allowed to let players from the NBA compete for America at the Olympic games. Isn't it actually the opposite of a form of competition falsification?

[danherbias07]

It's been an interesting match so far. The Denver Nuggets have really impressed this season. If you win 4-0 in the semi-finals, that also says something. And in the first game of the final they won very easily, we can say. The fact that the game was in Denver was of course a big advantage. Basketball is a sport in which the audience at home can be extremely important because almost the entire stadium is full of home supporters. It is also remarkable that there are almost never problems between the supporters. They should take that as an example in other sports.

They are truly impressive. The Denver Nuggets as the first seed in the season with 53 wins and just 29 losses while most of them are Jokic-less whenever he tries to rest or the management not letting him play to avoid unexpected injuries.
Regarding the homecourt advantage, I don't want to underestimate the Miami Heat because they are also good on the road. Their two stolen wins can from the TD Garden of Boston Celtics which was actually shocking, this is why I don't want to go as far as -9 when it comes to betting for the Nuggets. I mean, the chances of the Nuggets winning are high, but covering the spread will be difficult because the Heat doesn't give up easily, especially on the defensive end.

Game 2 later, we will see if the Nuggets can perfect it at their home before they go on the road to Miami. They cannot give up one game here to avoid a rough road ahead with their confidence being broken. To the gamblers here, good luck.

[jakelyson]

It was previously reported that Herro would return in game 3, but if that has changed and he will be back due to urgency, then we still have to carefully analyze his performance as it will be his first game after getting injured in the playoffs. We don't know what kind of game he can have and how it will affect the team. Honestly, I don't expect much even if he does return. What I would like to see is Jimmy being Jimmy, a superstar who can drop an average of 30+ points like he did against the Bucks.

I do not expect too much since it is his first game coming from an injury, but he is still a vital player for the Miami Heat. If he hits his outside shoots, he can disrupt the defense of the Nuggets, leading Jimmy to attack the paint more.

Another concern for Miami is that Caled Martin is listed as questionable in today's game. It is reported that he missed practice due to illness. He might not play for Miami today. He did not contribute well in Game 1 with a measly 3 points, and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes of game time. But he is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in the postseason. His performance will be missed if he ends up not playing tonight.

Splash brother era is already over since most of the players now can shoot accurate 3 pointers.

They are already at the end tail of their career. Steph is 35 and Klay is 33 with injury. They had a good run and dominated for almost a decade. They can still be competitive, but it is time that the young stars of Golden State to take over.

[Velvet78]

It is very impressive to see Heat doing this great this season even in the absence of one of their most important players who is Tyler Herro. That is a big dedication example by them. They started the final series 1-0 behind against Nuggets maybe but I don't think this series will be easy for Nuggets either. I hope to see 7 games which would be lovely to watch.

There is less than an hour left for Game 2 to start. Caleb Martin's condition is still questionable. His score contribution has also been valuable for Heat. It feels like Nuggets will get another win home.