Game 1 Loss comes at a hefty price for the Heat

Damn. The Lakers were as good as advertised in game 1 of the finals. Everything seemed to be going their way. LeBron and AD combined for 59 points in the Lakers 18 point blowout of the Heat. The Heat’s zone didn’t work, the Heat got out rebounded, and to be honest, they got out hustled. To make matters worse, the Heat’s three best players all got injured. Butler should be good to go for game 2. Dragić and Bam Bam, on the other hand, are doubtful. My guess is Goran will miss the rest of the series. That’s a big blow to Miami. Goran was the Heat’s leading scorer in the playoffs and was the one to get the offense rolling. Bam Bam was the main guy to guard AD, but it looks like they’ll need to find someone else for game 2.  

So, who does coach Spo start next game to replace the Dragon and Bam? I’m guessing it’ll be Herro and Olynyk. HeatNation, let me know what you think. Nunn played well game 1, but hasn’t played enough basketball these playoffs to be a starter. So ya, I’m gonna go with Herro to replace Dragić, but expect Nunn to get bigger minutes. Miami will have to give Myers Leonard some playing time in order to try and match the size of the Lakers. 

Yes I’m a Heat fan, so I’ve focused more on the Heat, so lemme give LA some credit. They played exceptionally well on defense and made the Heat work hard for their baskets in game 1. Ok, no more Lakers talk. The Heat’s splash brothers played poor yesterday. Herro went 6 of 18 and Robinson didn’t record a single point. For Heat fans saying to limit their minutes, that’s not #HeatCulture. Unless they take poor shots…you let shooters be shooters. No matter how much Herro and Robinson are struggling to score, they will keep shooting. That is what coach Spoelstra wants. Every player has their slumps, but if you play for the Heat you don’t let that scare you away from shooting. If Miami’s shooters get good looks they’ll shoot… and honestly, that’s why I have grown to love this team. Nothing scares them.

The Heat looked really good in the first 8 minutes or so of game 1 and just have to bring that energy for the entire 48 minutes of game 2. Obviously, without 2 of their usual starters it won’t be easy, but now it’s all about “next man up” mentally for Miami. I’m looking for Jimmy Buckets to be extra aggressive in game 2. Will Miami win game 2? Maybe, maybe not, but don’t expect the Heat to roll over for anybody.