After the series between Miami and Boston, which could almost have been a historic turning point, we have the second finalist of this season in the strongest basketball league in the world. Boston fell short, but Miami took the experience and the chance to win another ring.
It has been decited- Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat – for the title, for the ring, for eternity!
Boston could break the 150-0 tradition
The Miami Heat defeat the Boston Celtics 103-84 in the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals – on the road. Just when it looked like Boston was going to come back from 3-0 deficit in the series, they fell on the last step of the podium, even in front of their own fans. Clearly, the pressure was too much. Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and the rest rallied when it was needed most to lead their team to another final.
“As a group, we stayed together. As a team, we talked about the fact that it would be tough to win an away game. But we did that,” said Butler.
“But we’re not satisfied. We are excited. We are happy. But we have to win another series.”
So again, we did not get a team to break the tradition. Nobody has managed to come back from 3:0 deficit and win the series!
Spoelstra couldn’t hide his excitement after the end of the series
For coach Eric Spoelstra, this will be his sixth appearance with the same team in the NBA Finals!
After the game, he stood in front of the seventh force and praised his players.
“Sometimes you have to suffer for the things you really want… This group has shown resilience in the face of inevitable defeats and setbacks, the perseverance to pick yourself up, the collective spirit to keep going until you achieve what you want.”
Miami is the first eighth seed to reach the Finals since the New York Knicks in 1999.
Tatum injured in the first action of the game
The home team was betting big on the duo of Jayson Tatum – Jaylen Brown, but both disappointed this time around. Although it is hard to blame the first star, who twisted his ankle in one of the opening actions of the game, Brown, the team’s second star, is trying to escape from his responsibility. He lost 8 balls. He scored only 19 points, not enough for a ticket to the grand final. Tatum managed 14 points when injured, but the rest of the team didn’t show up either.
“We failed. We failed and we let the whole city down,”
said Jaylen Brown after the defeat, adding:
“Whatever the circumstances we have had during the season, we had a great opportunity today. We got to this point and then we fell short.”
Denver will face the finals feeling much more rested
The Denver Nuggets have been waiting a long time for their opponent since their last meeting on 22 May, when they put the final nail in the LA Lakers’ coffin. This has given them considerably more time to prepare and, perhaps even more importantly, much more time to rest. Seven days more than their opponent in the Finals – the Miami Heat.
How this will play out on the court is hard to say. It is a double-edged sword. For some teams, more rest can even be a burden, as you fall out of rhythm while your opponent is in the middle of a string of games. Turning the situation around, it will be interesting to see whether Miami’s team will be able to regenerate to the point where they can be competitive against their opponents.
Three players who came to the NBA from the same club!
As always, the final will also be interesting for all European viewers. There will be plenty of European flavour. Of course, when we have Denver’s biggest star, Nikola Jokić, on Denver’s side. Alongside him, Slovenia’s Vlatko Čančar will be waiting for his chance. On the other side, like Vlatko, another Serb – Nikola Jović – is hoping for a few minutes. Interestingly, all of these guys used to defend the colours of the Serbian club Mege. Miško Ražnatović is also an agent they have in common. Another Turk, Omer Yurtseven, will defend the European honour and, like Jović, he is also a Miami player.
When, where and at what time
We won’t have to wait long for the big final. The series between the two best teams of the season will start this Friday. First, the teams will face off in Denver, where the opening two games will be played, as is customary in the NBA. The pace of the games will follow each third day of the week. The game is played on a 4-win basis. Our prediction? We expect a fierce battle, and for the sake of basketball, we hope the series will be long, interesting and have as many overtimes as possible! And we invite you to cheer for your favorite in the sports gear you can find on our website!
FINALE
Scheduled:- Central European Time
First match, Friday at 2.30:
DENVER – MIAMI
Second match, Monday at 2.00:
DENVER – MIAMI
Third match, Thursday 8 June at 2.30:
MIAMI – DENVER
Fourth match, Saturday 10 June at 2.30:
MIAMI – DENVER
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Possible matches:
Match 5, Tuesday 13 June at 2.30:
DENVER – MIAMI
Matchday 6, Friday 16 June at 2.30:
MIAMI – DENVER
Match 7, Monday 19 June at 2.00:
DENVER – MIAMI
