The Miami Heat lost the first game of a playoff series for the first time since this season. denver nuggets In Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Miami cooled off from the field, shooting only 33.3% from the three-point line and 40.6% overall.
Bam Adebayo (13) of the Miami Heat sits on the court after being fouled by Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 104-93 win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Thursday, June 1, 2023 at the Ball Arena in Denver. (Aaron Ontiveros/The Denver Post)
but it lacked free-throw attempts Which raised questions after the match.
The Heat made only two free throws and the fewest free throws made and attempted in one nba finals Play.
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At the postgame press conference, Miami Center Bam Adebayo And forward Haywood Highsmith was asked three times about his lack of free throw attempts, and Adebayo made sure any criticism of the officiant was avoided.
“If I say something, will you be fined?” Adebayo said when asked about the free-throw discrepancy. “I feel like we can’t even get into it. We can’t let them control the game. I feel like we took too many jump shots, and we missed too many of them instead of going to the basket. ”
“We’re going to go watch the film and get back to the drawing board.”
Heywood Highsmith #24 & Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat speaks to the media after the game during Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena on June 1, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Issac Baldizzon / NBAE via Getty Images)
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Denver went to the line 20 times in Game 1, failing 16 of those attempts.
Heat star Jimmy ButlerJoe, who scored just 13 points on Thursday, said Miami will have to be more aggressive in getting to the rim.
“Probably because we shot a lot of jump shots, probably leading that pack ourselves, rather than pressing on the rim,” Butler said, according to ESPN. “Making layups, getting to the free throw line. When you look at it during the game, they all look like perfect shots.
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Jimmy Butler (22) of the Miami Heat goes court prior to the first quarter of the NBA Finals Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at The Ball Arena in Denver. (Aaron Ontiveros/The Denver Post)
“And I’m not saying we can’t do that as a team, but got to get more lays, got to get more free throws. And whenever you miss and don’t come back The game gets out of hand quickly. We missed too many layups that even we couldn’t make.
Miami will have a chance to bounce back with Game 2 scheduled for Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET.