Game 66 (Bubble#1): Denver Nuggets (43-22) vs Miami Heat (41-24)

Post #1 » by **THE J0KER** » Sat Aug 1, 2020 6:34 pm

Tied 1st half after many ups and downs. Grant is surprisingly best Nuggets player after Jokic in 1st half, especially considering he comes from the bench. Bol has his official NBA debut and MPJ has rare start. Three starters are out, Murray, Harris, and Barton, while Heat playing completely.

skywalker33 · Post #2 » by **skywalker33** » Sat Aug 1, 2020 6:54 pm

Up by one at the half but no matter, just glad Jokic is back to his commanding game. Surprised we never heard extent of Harris and Barton’s injuries until today, this seems like pretty big game now

Post #3 » by **THE J0KER** » Sat Aug 1, 2020 7:53 pm

Nuggets played without 3 starters, but 20p is an unacceptable too big loss for a game in which team leads on halftime. That 3rd quarter was pathetic, especially key 0-13 run which decided today's game. I was afraid that Jokic will continue with passive games from scrimmages, but he was well aggressive in the 1st half, so why he completely stopped in the 2nd? MPJ is a big disappointment today, he should better use every chance as a starter. Denver was good in 1st half, but in general, the only real bright spot today was Grant, and fact that Bol Bol has his official NBA debut.

skywalker33 · Post #4 » by **skywalker33** » Sat Aug 1, 2020 11:06 pm

Definitely could have had a better showing in the 2nd half, agree with Joker that that 3rd qtr was rough. Now a 20pt loss with 3 starter missing, in the regular season it could easily be dismissed. Here it feels like it will be used as a crutch, an excuse. Perhaps they'll spin it as a springboard heading into the playoffs but we'll need to advance to the WCF to be considered a success. Still waiting to see if Harris we become anything more than future trade bait, same with Barton.

Have to say we lucked out with UTH losing, we're still looking at the 3rd seed.

TunaFish · Post #5 » by **TunaFish** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 12:12 am

I still think Malone doesn't care about these next games. He is more concerned about injuries and being ready for the playoffs.

That's the effect of no home court advantage. If you think you have a chance to win the tournament, then why not knock off a higher seed quickly in the playoffs. You will have to play them eventually. Coast during the seeding games and save yourself for the playoffs.

skywalker33 · Post #6 » by **skywalker33** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 12:51 am

TunaFish wrote:I still think Malone doesn't care about these next games. He is more concerned about injuries and being ready for the playoffs.

That's the effect of no home court advantage. If you think you have a chance to win the tournament, then why not knock off a higher seed quickly in the playoffs. You will have to play them eventually. Coast during the seeding games and save yourself for the playoffs.

Great, but these games make your seeding match ups easier or harder, the 2nd seed could mean games against only ONE of the Lakers or Clippers as compared to both, should that matter to Malone ??? I agree with being focused on the playoffs but we played match-up roulette in the playoff last year so doesn't this take some concern ? We could've easily dropped to the 4th seed today if UTH had won.

TunaFish · Post #7 » by **TunaFish** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 1:23 am

skywalker33 wrote:
TunaFish wrote:I still think Malone doesn't care about these next games. He is more concerned about injuries and being ready for the playoffs.

That's the effect of no home court advantage. If you think you have a chance to win the tournament, then why not knock off a higher seed quickly in the playoffs. You will have to play them eventually. Coast during the seeding games and save yourself for the playoffs.

Great, but these games make your seeding match ups easier or harder, the 2nd seed could mean games against only ONE of the Lakers or Clippers as compared to both, should that matter to Malone ??? I agree with being focused on the playoffs but we played match-up roulette in the playoff last year so doesn't this take some concern ? We could've easily dropped to the 4th seed today if UTH had won.

You are correct but does it matter? What I mean is whether you are the 3rd or 4th or even lower, no one has home court advantage.

I can see initially avoiding the Clips and Lakers but everyone left is equally difficult. You have to beat the best at some point, who can say that one team will match up better with another until we get into an extended playoff. Without home court advantage, this bubble tournament takes away the advantage of being the higher seed at least as to home court. It will be hard to advance unless you can beat anyone.

Think about for a moment, as long as you avoid the 7th and 8th seed, you will likely play the same teams currently from the middle seeds.

skywalker33 · Post #8 » by **skywalker33** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 2:32 am

Couple of things stood out in my mind, extremely bad officiating on both sides, so that didn't have a clear bearing on the loss. However, shooting 23% from 3-pt range will kill any team.

Post #9 » by **NuggetsWY** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 4:59 am

Offense was fair - for not having our starting wings and starting point.

Defense was the bigger problem, but without three starters ... IMO Bol shows promise of being a capable defender. Porter made some defensive mistakes but he definitely was trying to play defense.

Post #10 » by **THE J0KER** » Sun Aug 2, 2020 1:28 pm

Key stats:

Starters out: Murray, Harris, Barton

Jokic 1st half: 14p-5r-4a-1s-1b-0to
Jokic 2nd half: 5p -2r-2a-0s-0b-3to

3pt stats: Denver 8/35 (23%), Miami 13/29 (45%)

3rd quarter: Denver-Miami 22-38