By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
What a way for the Miami Heat to bounce back and even up their NBA Finals series with the Denver Nuggets at 1-1.
After getting punched in the mouth during that Game 1 loss, Miami’s architect Erik Spoelstra really knew when and what to adjust in order for his squad to win at all costs.
With the talks of Gabe Vincent’s 23 big points and Duncan Robinson’s insane 10-point spree in just two minutes to help Miami regain life at the start of the final frame, other guys must be inserted in the picture and might be the Heat’s unsung hero in Game 2.
That man is Kevin Love.
Unfazed and discouraged with his lack of playing time during Miami’s last postseason stretch, the 2016 NBA Champion brought a new dimension to the Heat when he started Game 2.
Spoelstra didn’t think twice about inserting Love back in the starting rotation as his size and high basketball IQ were badly needed by Miami to win on the road in front of a hostile Denver crowd.
So what were the things that Love did to immediately make an impact during their Game 2 win?
First off, his size took away Denver’s mismatches underneath the paint which they exploited big time last Game 1.
Rewinding a bit during that dominant win, Aaron Gordon, Denver’s athletic power forward, quickly scored 12 points in the opening quarter and got a ton of his offense from mismatches when Vincent or Caleb Martin was switched unto him.
The Nuggets then finished Game 1 with 46 points all in the shaded lane which comprised almost half of their total scoring as a team.
During Game 2, Love’s presence became a major difference as he was able to neutralize Denver’s mismatch hunting and kept Gordon away from the paint.
Known as a poor three-point shooter, Gordon provided less threat than he had last Game 1 when he stayed behind the paint when Love is anchoring Miami’s defense.
Gordon wasn’t able to play his signature bully ball as Love’s high hoops IQ provided better communication when Denver ran multiple picks to get their desired matchup.
Aside from taking away Denver’s paint attack, Love also forced three crucial turnovers on Denver after stealing the ball twice while completing a charge call on the driving Michael Porter Jr.
Love’s court awareness was a huge thing when he was inside the floor for Miami as his timing on when to provide the help defense and when to disrupt the passing lanes changed the whole complexion of the game.
With Martin on the floor as a starter, Miami had little help in their paint defense as the larger Nikola Jokic and the physical Gordon just ran him off in the isolations. Now with Love replacing him, the veteran power forward gave the Heat more resistance and more defensive rebounding.
Love finished the game with six points and 10, two steals, and an assist and tallied an impressive 18 +/- percentage through the course of 22 minutes.
Last but not the least, Love was the major factor in limiting Denver’s opportunities when they ran in the open court.
In Game 1, the Nuggets had the luxury to ram over any Miami defender because of their size but with Love manning the inside, Denver failed to capitalize on several fast break opportunities last Game 2 and decided to shoot more transition threes or reset their attack.
Love did all the little details for the Heat to equalize the series and is expected to do the same when they head back home to Miami and gun for a 2-1 NBA Finals lead.
Big props to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for staying solid in Game 2 but we have to give Love the flowers he deserved.
