The Miami Heat shocked a sellout crowd in Denver late Sunday evening coming back from a double digit deficit to win Game 2 of the NBA Finals, 111-108 sending the best-of-seven series back to Miami tied at one win apiece.
The Denver Nuggets got 41 points from superstar Nikola Jokic on Sunday evening, but it was not enough to hold off a determined Heat squad that was led in scoring by PG Gabe Vincent with 23 points.
But according to Travis Demers, NBA Play by Play voice of the Portland Trailblazers, “Miami can’t win (the series) without Jimmy Butler putting up big numbers” as he told The Abe-T-L Show on Saturday evening in Atlanta.
Butler was held to only 14 points in the Game 1 loss, and although the Heat pulled out the Game 2 upset, they only got 21 points from their ALL-NBA small forward.
Can the Heat win this series if Butler doesn’t increase his offensive production?
“He (Butler) has not been at his best since the second round (vs NY Knicks)” emphasized Demers to Abe Gordon when analyzing the struggles of Butler in the recent games for Miami.
Demers continued by saying, “When he (Butler) is penetrating, when he’s getting to the rim, when he’s getting to the free throw line, now it opens things up for Robinson, Strus, and Vincent.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra is a mastermind at getting great contributions from the role players on his squad, but many believe that the Heat will only go as far as the future Hall of Famer will carry them.
“He’s been the best player in the playoffs, he was the best player a couple of years ago in the bubble, but he had help, and the help is what opens things up for him” was one of the final thoughts from Demes to the ABE-T-L Show.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is set for Wednesday night in Miami.
To hear the entire conversation between Abe Gordon and Travis download the link above