Privilege of adversity

The ongoing NBA Finals between Miami and Denver is a showcase of how the opposing coaches handle the pressure of losing. After the Heat lost Game 1, coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t come down hard on his players and instead, encouraged them to bounce back. In contrast, coach Michael Malone blasted his players for lack of effort in blowing Game 2 at home. Miami has wrested homecourt advantage from Denver and if it holds serve from now on, could wrap up the best-of-seven series in six.

But don’t count out Denver even if Miami stole Game 2 on the road. Before the Finals, the Nuggets were 4-3 on the road, winning away from home once in Minnesota, once in Phoenix and twice in Los Angeles. Miami is 6-2 at home, losing at Kaseya Center twice to Boston. The Heat swept home games against Milwaukee twice and New York thrice. For Denver to win the title, the Nuggets must win at least once on the road. There are five games left in the Finals, now turned into a best-of-five series or a race to three. Games 3 and 4 will be in Miami and if necessary, Game 6 also at the Heat hoophouse. Game 5 will be back in Denver and if it extends to a Game 7, the last encounter will also be on the Nuggets homecourt.

Nobody expected Miami to go this far in the playoffs. The Heat wasn’t even supposed to survive the first round against top seed Milwaukee. Of the 18 teams that started the playoffs, including the play-in, Miami was No. 14 in the ladder to win the title. Denver was No. Six. Oddsmakers gave the Heat less than a five percent chance of going all the way. But somehow, Spoelstra found a way to overcome the Bucks in five, New York in six and Boston in seven. To make Miami’s run even more incredible, the Heat lost Tyler Herro in Game 1 of the Milwaukee series and Victor Olapido in Game 3 of the same duel. Herro averaged 20.1 points and Oladipo, 10.7 in the regular season. Making up for 30 points a game was a challenge for Spoelstra who never made it an excuse. Instead, he described the predicament as a privilege of adversity.

Spoelstra said the injuries, changing lineups and bumps strengthened the Heat to beat the odds. “It hardened and steeled us,” he said. “We developed some grit (from) those 57 close games.” This season, Miami gained a reputation of winning clutch games where the lead was five points by either team in the last five minutes. Spoelstra didn’t berate his players after losing Game 1 to Denver and showed respect for the Nuggets. He didn’t lash out at his shooters for missing 16 open three-pointers. “They’re fine,” he said, stressing that the Heat game isn’t dependent on the three-ball. Spoelstra said if the shots aren’t falling, he’s confident his players will find other ways to impact the outcome.

Malone, however, sang a different tune after Denver lost Game 2. He lambasted the Nuggets for failing to take care of business at home, describing their performance as “disappointing” and “perplexing.” Malone referred to gameplan breakdowns and lamented the players’ lack of discipline. He said the Nuggets couldn’t stop the Heat’s outside gunners despite “heightened awareness” of their capabilities. “We had guys out there that were just, whether feeling sorry for themselves for not making shots or thinking they can just turn it on and off,” he ranted. While Malone said the Nuggets were outworked, he never admitted he was outcoached.

Spoelstra was brilliant in making key adjustments in Game 2. He started Kevin Love in Caleb Martin’s place to give the Heat more size off the boards, more firepower from beyond the arc and more length on defense. Spoelstra put Jimmy Butler on Jamal Murray and hardly doubled Nikola Jokic to take away his passing. Jokic took the bait, erupted for 41 points but only had four assists compared to 14 in Game 1. Murray went from 26 in Game 1 to 18 in Game 2. The series is far from over and how the players respond to their coaches’ prodding will be critical in deciding who will be the next NBA champion.