MIAMI - Lifted by the never-say-die spirit that has defined his team's 2023 postseason run, Miami head coach Erik Speolstra took to the podium last Saturday to address the Heat's 3-1 NBA Finals deficit.
"All we are thinking about is getting this thing back to the 3-0-5, " he told reporters minutes after Denver's 108-95 Game 4 win. "That's how quickly this can change."
The 3-0-5 is a reference to Miami's telephone area code, meaning if the Heat can somehow steal Game Five in Denver (on Tuesday, Manila time) and drag the best-of-seven series back to Florida, this 9-1-1 emergency stands a fighting chance.
READ: Carl Tamayo begs off from Gilas pool
Given how they've prospered on the road in this improbable playoff ride, winning games in Milwaukee, New York and Boston, only a fool wouldn't believe that Miami can't spring another surprise.
I'm a big fan of Heat culture. And an even bigger fan of coach Spo.
But I'm also a fool, I guess. Because I think Miami's Cinderella run ends in a place ironically called Ball Arena. The Nuggets will have their last dance tomorrow and take home the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Like every wild party in South Beach, this one is over.
THE JOKER IS NO JOKE
The Heat have no answer to Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 30.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists in these Finals. It's now clear, the regular season MVP award may have been stolen from him.
There is no stopping Jamal Murray, who is averaging 23 points and 10.5 dimes per while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and, get this, 41.7 percent from 3.
And when Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown, who combined for 48 points in Game Four, finally decided to join this Finals shindig, Miami couldn't stop the music.
Not when Jimmy Butler has ceased playing like "Michael Jordan's son," norming just 20 points while struggling with his shotmaking, converting only 44.5 percent of his field goals including a mere 35.7 percent from long distance.
After expending so much energy dethroning Milwaukee and extinguishing Boston's flame in seven hard-fought battles, the Heat have little left to fight the good fight.
They're tired, overwhelmed, and physically overmatched by a longer, bigger Nuggets team.
COLD HEAT
You see that in Max Strus, whose shooting prowess seems to have been abducted by aliens. After catching fire versus the Celtics, whom he burned for 19.3 points per game, Strus is turning in just 6.8 points per in four Finals games.
You see that in Gabe Vincent, whose value has regressed faster than crypto currency. In Games Three and Four, Vincent managed just nine points on 3-of-16 shooting and had more fouls (6) than assists (1) in 51 minutes of combined play.
When a point guard struggles as egregiously as Vincent has of late, a team can't find its direction. And if you think Kyle Lowry is the answer, you don't know the question.
Even if Miami puts it together and scores a major Game Five upset, coming back to the Kaseya Center isn't exactly a comforting thought. The Heat are 0-4 in their last four home games.
And no matter how hard I want to believe that Butler and his friends will turn things around, one stat gives me a quick pause.
In the history of the NBA playoffs, which adopted the current format in 1984, teams that have fallen to a 1-3 deficit are 9-179, a 4.8 percent rate.
Shakira, the crush of my adult life, was at the Heat's building in Game Three. She once convinced me that "hips don't lie."
Here's another thing that doesn't lie: The numbers.
Nuggets in five.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
