2023 NBA Finals Game 4 Observations

Here are my observations for Game 4 of the NBA Finals!  Denver ran away at the end of the game, as Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown joined Nikola Jokic on the scoring end to beat Miami 108-95.

 

1^st Quarter

• Instantly I like how Miami has started.  They were aggressive on offense with getting 2 good looks (they made 1) and then forcing the Nuggets to go down to the end of the shot clock
• I wrote the first note then Bam Adebayo took a midrange floater and then Nikola Jokic got a post-up (though not necessarily an easy look)
• I like how Michael Porter has driven to the lane multiple times early.  Even though both missed, he’s so big that it helps screw up the defense
• Jokic just showed why you can’t double him.  He just kicked it out to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who drilled the open 3
• I love when Aaron Gordon is aggressive.  He really is an amazing fit for this team
• I’m surprised that Jimmy Butler hasn’t been aggressive scoring.  His shooting has been hurt by his ankle injury, but I would still think that he could be effective enough to make it justifiable
• One thing that I like that Denver has been doing on offense to start is having Jokic set screens around the arc and then straying around.  With Adebayo often either roaming or staying on him, they wind up with either an open Jokic or an open lane to the hoop (which has been more the case)
• I hope Jokic is not hurt; he’s limping a tad
• Okay, either Kevin Love should have been called for fouling Porter (which I would have called) or Porter should have been called for a travel since he landed before passing the ball.  That was bad
• The refs appear to be allowing a lot of contact.  I have no problem with it, though it has been inconsistent with some games this series
• I really like Denver’s defense so far.  They have been really aggressive early forcing turnovers and have also forced Miami to second guess shots or overpass
• Well Butler finally attacked Jokic on a play
• Denver just had a couple plays where they were solid looks behind the arc off the kickout, but the shot clock was low.  With Cody Zeller guarding Jokic, I’m surprised Jokic isn’t more aggressive on him
• Why did Caldwell-Pope go in for the ball on Butler’s fade away?  That was a terrible decision to practically lean into Butler.  Even if it didn’t result in a basket, it was still a dumb play given how difficult that shot was
• Denver’s defense has been so good this quarter until the last couple minutes; the issue is that their shots haven’t been falling consistently, so they’re behind.  I feel like Miami hasn’t been playing as well despite having a 1-point lead

2^nd Quarter

• Even though I thought Murray would hit the shot he missed while double teamed, Denver has to do better with having the open man cut.  Christian Braun came over late, but he was still behind the second defender
• I’m glad to see Gordon be a bit more aggressive this quarter.  He had an open 3 and took it, then exploited the mismatch
• I didn’t realize just how many shots Butler had taken and made.  I was expecting he was like 2-4 or 2-5, but they just showed he was 4-7
• As the broadcasters are talking about the famous people there, I sometimes wonder how often they see someone and question who the person was
• I generally like not doubling Adebayo, but I liked how Denver did it the time he went harder to the rim
• I loved the play where Duncan Robinson drove to the paint and dished it to a cutting Butler.  It showcases both how Robinson has gotten more aggressive with the drive and how Butler is so smart off the ball, something I don’t think anyone (including myself) talks about enough
• I’m sure most people won’t, but I liked the attempt to get the charge by Vincent in transition.  Denver has been so good in transition that even though it was unlikely to get called, it’s no longer a transition basket
• The fact that Murray has been an amazing creator and distributor has been a game changer for Denver.  Miami has been covering him so hard that his shot won’t always fall with regularity otherwise
• Geez, that pass to Gordon and then finish was not easy at all.  Risky pass, difficult finish, yet they made it work again
• If Miami were to beat me due to Adebayo making a ton of midrange jumpers, I’d just hand them a trophy and know this was the one universe in 1,000 where this would happen
• I’m surprised that Miami keeps allowing the pick-and-pop with Jokic getting the open 3.  He’s a great shooter so I’m surprised they keep allowing it
• Could we finally have the Jimmy Butler game?  He has been more aggressive at points
• If I’m Miami, I might start allowing Jokic to shoot deep 3’s unless he makes a ton of them
• Gordon is amazing cutter.  Pairing him with Jokic really brings out the best of him.  I have previously said that he was a bit overrated, but that’s because people acted like he was a star, but I figured this was the perfect fit for him.  It has been even better than I could have predicted
• The foul that Max Strus committed is demoralizing; that stinks to box out so well and then hook a guy while already in the bonus
• Porter has had a few plays where he stepped perfectly around a couple guys set up for a charge.  I never noticed just how nice his Eurostep was
• Miami has been pretty sloppy over the last few plays on offense.  Let’s see if they slow it down on the next one
• Adebayo made a dunk!  He does know how to drive to the rim
• Braun has been so valuable for Denver.  While he had a nice scoring game in Game 3, I love his willingness to muck things up and do the dirty work
• Kyle Lowry has had such a nice game on the offensive end.  While he has a lot of baskets, I also think it is wild to see just how good his decision making has been, even with the scoring
• Can we focus for a second on how excruciating watching Butler’s normal strategy of forcing free throws is?  He hasn’t done it much this Finals, but yikes, it’s boring
• I’m honestly not sure which team is playing better right now.  I like a lot of what each team has done, especially offensively with their cutting

3^rd Quarter

• I do like Miami’s offense so far since end of the first.  They had a nice play where they kept passing to get to a better look, even if they didn’t score
• I’ve been hard on Adebayo not going to the rim, but I thought it was smart to pull up as Jokic flung towards the rim
• I feel like Murray is trying to force his shot a bit too much.  He appears to be trying to make something out of double coverage
• With Jokic’s basket at 8:25, there’s only so much Adebayo can do; he played awesome defense on it
• I love the cutting that Denver has had this game.  While Murray has struggled offensively, I thought his cut and finish off Gordon’s bounce pass was perfect basketball
• I’m surprised the 3 by Kevin Love wasn’t called a 3.  That said, it was a beautiful shot
• I thought there was no way Gordon would get that pass since it was so high.  Wow, he’s such an elite athlete (not that it’s a news flash, but still)
• Denver lucked out that Robinson missed that 3.  Adebayo was in perfect position for the offensive rebound
• When the ball was tipped from Lowry, I thought it would work out well for him since he was stuck.  I wasn’t expecting an and-one by Love
• One thing I wish basketball did was kick out people from the jump ball if they’re too aggressive, like how hockey does it
• Love has played so long and even still is doing the dirty work.  I’m like 7 years younger and am sore watching him.  I’m literally on my coach having a glass of milk and my knee is sore, I can’t imagine doing what any of these players are doing
• I figured Michael Malone would be mad after the turnover/transition basket by Robinson; wow, like clockwork
• That was a really nice fast break play by Lowry and Butler, which resulted in free throws
• I remember when Bruce Brown was in Brooklyn and his job was to be a versatile defender who could cut off the ball.  In Denver, he developed into a backup point guard and has gotten a lot more aggressive on offense.  He really has been a revelation on that end
• Oof, that’s bad luck for Adebayo; it was the perfect dunk if the ball had gone straight down
• Oh no, not another crooked rim in Denver…for those of you who remember the regular season
• Oh geez, I hope that fan is okay now.  That’s awful for her to have to be stretched off
• There’s been a couple really nice offensive plays for each team to start the resume play
• That was an amazing play by Denver resulting in Gordon’s finish.  Even if he couldn’t get a shot off, Murray ran right to the corner and was wide open
• Wow, Denver’s offense appears to be clicking.  Gordon starring in this game is not what I expected, but they needed him with Murray struggling.  I wonder how Miami will adjust to his cuts and aggressiveness

4^th Quarter

• Ok, that might have missed, but Miami wants that shot that missed for their first shot 100 times.  If they get that shot again, it won’t miss
• I don’t love Jokic’s habit of kicking the ball.  Maybe I’m turning into a grumpy old man, but it doesn’t seem effective enough to justify
• I know the shot by Martin at around 10:00 missed, but it really was an amazing look that they want to create
• I knew Adebayo was probably going to make that block in transition, but even still I was totally full of joy seeing it.  He really is an amazing athlete and defender
• I mean that looked like a flop on Adebayo to me…still though, that’s big for Miami
• I mean I thought Gordon had a clean block, which gives Miami the edge on two questionable calls in a row
• I’m not sure what Murray could have done for it not to be called a foul against Butler, maybe walk off the court?
• I’d bring Jokic back in now that it’s only a 5-point game.  Even though he has 5 fouls, what are the odds that Adebayo consistently goes at him?  I’d say they’re slim
• That Murray basket is what he needed; a beautiful shot off the handoff where there was just a second of open space
• This was another case where I didn’t mind Adebayo talking a floater far enough from the rim.  It didn’t fall, but Denver didn’t appear to be in position to defend it
• That was terrible rebounding by Denver.  If Butler is able to get his own rebound, you’re doing something wrong
• That was another beautiful pass by Murray.  He’s been doing this all series and it’s been a beauty to watch
• I’m surprised the refs were confused who the ball went off on when I said pretty confidently that Robinson kicked the ball
• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  I love Denver’s transition offense!  That said, the play started with incredible defense on Butler, especially by Caldwell-Pope
• The fact that Denver is still up 9 with Jokic coming back into the game really shows that Miami didn’t capitalize on the time he was out
• I like the play of Brown driving into Butler since Butler was still in the restricted area.  Even if Butler had gotten out quickly, Brown could have dished it out
• I actually like the kick ball that Jokic had at around 4 minutes, which prevented a pass to a perfect cut
• I’m a little surprised that Miami isn’t driving right at Jokic, but at the same time if it’s not in the flow of the offense, then it makes sense
• I said that last note and Adebayo drove right into the paint when there was an opening that could only be prevented by Jokic committing a blocking foul
• I don’t know the numbers, but Denver really appears to be so good at making transition 3’s.  That’s just brutal defend honestly
• I started writing a note about the aggression by Caleb Martin to keep the ball in play off the missed shot, but then Jeff Green made an amazing play with the steal
• I know the game is pretty much over at this point, but that was an amazing cut by Martin at the end of the game
• Denver really had a nice game on offense and forced enough turnovers on defense.  I thought that what killed Miami was the fact that they didn’t perform well on offense when Jokic was out in the 4^th.  The issue for Miami on defense is that I’m not sure what adjustment they make if Denver’s role players are that aggressive

 

What did you think about Game 4?  What are you looking for in Game 5?  Let me know in the comments!