DENVER — Hey, did you know the Heat have several undrafted players? I know this story hasn’t been covered much lately, but apparently, it’s true. Actually, it’s more true than even the stories would suggest: While five undrafted Miami players have been part of the rotation during the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals — Caleb …
Hollinger: How the Miami Heat have crushed it finding undrafted talent Read More »
Any handwringing and pearl-clutching over the NBA Finals’ TV ratings without traditional big-market teams involved has proven overblown so far. Denver’s 104-93 Game 1 victory on June 1 averaged 11.58 million viewers on ABC while Miami’s 111-108 upset on Sunday night averaged 11.91 million. Both games won all the coveted advertising demographics, as expected. Sunday’s …
Those NBA Finals, Stanley Cup ratings fears? Overblown, so far: Sports on TV Read More »
Free agency! Woo hoo! Transaction season has taken on a life of its own in the NBA ecosystem, arguably becoming more popular than the games. With the NBA Finals generating, perhaps, a bit less public fascination than in some other years, that sentiment about transaction season seems particularly true this June. Free agency is much …
Nikola Jokić was asleep when the Denver Nuggets drafted him with the forty-first pick in the 2014 N.B.A. draft. Famously, when the pick was announced, ESPN, which televised the draft, was airing a Taco Bell commercial, for a cross between a burrito and a quesadilla—the quesarito. Jokić’s name flashed on a chyron below the ad. …
DENVER — The Nuggets are like the dynastic Golden State Warriors insofar as they apply enormous pressure on the team trying to guard them. It may look different than the way the Warriors did it, but the strain on the faces of the Miami Heat when they talk about trying to stop a 7-footer who …
Miami Heat’s big NBA Finals surprise? Turning to Kevin Love for defense Read More »
DENVER – The Miami Heat have already taken down a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NBA playoffs, and they’re on the board toward doing it again. The eighth-seeded Heat evened the NBA Finals on Sunday by knocking off the Denver Nuggets in Game 2, 111-108. Help came from all corners to beat the Nuggets …
Heat defeat Nuggets in Game 2 of NBA Finals: What worked for Miami in the win Read More »
Well, that went about as expected. At least for now. Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals saw the Nuggets handle business with a 104-93 win over the Heat. Save for a handful of desperation buckets by Miami down the stretch, it was a dominant effort from start to finish that even staved off a …
2023 NBA Finals odds and expert picks for Nuggets vs. Heat Game 2 Read More »
DENVER – Heat star Jimmy Butler is one of a handful of Miami players who need to play better in Game 2 of the finals. He’s aware, but isn’t about to press to make it happen. He’s looking for an escape. “My daughter is out here, so ripping and running with her,” Butler said, when …
Jimmy Butler books ‘escape room’ before Game 2 as Heat, Nuggets vow to play better Read More »
DENVER — If all you had to go by was Kevin Love’s body language inside the visitor’s locker room at Ball Arena late Thursday, you may have thought he led Miami to a win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Nikola Jokić and his Denver Nuggets. There was no celebrating, of course, what …
DENVER – I forgot where I was this morning. No, it wasn’t the typical NBA travel “I forgot where I was” situation where you startle awake in a generically bland Marriott property wondering what city you’re in, what day it is and whether that blaring alarm sound that woke you up is ringing because you …
Hollinger: Heat need an altitude adjustment, but it will take more than just that Read More »
