Journalism of Courage
The Miami Heat got the looks. They just couldn’t knock them down.
It was that kind of forgettable shooting night for the Heat in a 104-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
The stat lines were hard to fathom: Max Strus, 0 for 10. Duncan Robinson, 1 of 6. Even Caleb Martin, who had a stellar showing in the Eastern Conference finals, wasn’t immune. He finished 1 of 7.
This was far from a shooting clinic for the Heat. They did make a flurry of shots in the fourth quarter to show what they can do and make the numbers a little prettier (40.6% from the floor) than they might have been. They also weren’t getting to the free throw line — only shooting two, with Haywood Highsmith making both.
In this make-or-miss league, several of the Heat struggled to a get a bucket through three quarters. Maybe it was a little bit of fatigue after a grueling seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern finals. Maybe it was the effects of playing at elevation in the Mile High City. But it wasn’t the performance from the perimeter the Heat were anticipating.
Sometimes, shots just don’t fall. The Heat advanced to the Finals because of Boston’s ineffectiveness from the outside in Game 7, when the Celtics were 9 of 42.
On Thursday in Denver, the Heat got a small taste of what it felt like.
