Jokic and Butler “spoiled” every expectation! | Blog – Antonis Calcaforas

Antonis Calcaforas watches in amazement the exchange of feelings between the Nuggets and the Heat and regards the NBA games this year as a basketball gift, and although he sees the title end in Colorado, he is ready for more suspense and more exciting Finals. Join the new season of “The Magical World”.

with the euroleague To have completed more than two weeks and its first finalist Basketball League It gave us a surprisingly competitive game, and all indications are that the basketball season will end with basketball fans everywhere moving to the other side of the game. Atlantic.

Where it was this year, especially in the longest postseason period in its eastern region NBAThey went through ups and downs.

To understand the extent of their success He hitswho returned to the finals three years after his “bubble”. Orlando (2020) enough to take his group into consideration Eric Spoelstra Qualified for the playoffs in the final knockout match (originally ranked seventh in the regular season with a 44-38 record) vs. bulls (102-91) And while at the first opportunity they had, they were defeated on their land (105-116) Atlanta Hawks.

Somehow, they entered the qualifying battle as the eighth seed and in the first round faced the biggest – up to that point – title favorite, who was none other than dollars to Giannis Antikonmo. Specialists and non-specialists are not given to Miami Chances of more than two wins, even whenGreek freakHe was injured in Game 1 and left, he lost Game 2 and 3!

You see, the Deer’s big loss was exacerbated by the broken wrist the team’s driving force and third goal has suffered since fl who raised it Tyler Hero (20.1p., 5.4r. and 4.2as.) Decommissioned for 1.5 months! As if that weren’t enough, in Game 3 and while there Milwaukee She tied the series with an impressive 138-122, and He hits They lost it too Victor Oladipo (mo 10.7p., 3.0p. and 3.5as.), which can provide them with some solutions in the vicinity. However, they held home, made it 2-1 and the pressure increased on the team with the best record ever NBA (58-24).

With those, with those, and with him John To return to Game 4 but also with the home team having limited solutions (players such as the “dull” had an important role in the rotation Kevin Love And Kyle Lowrybut also inexperienced Gabe Vincent And Caleb Martin), one would expect them to dollars To restore order, restore the home advantage and end the streak in 6 or 7 games.

But we all considered it without the man who grew to manhood under very difficult circumstances (his mother kicked him out of the house at 16 and his high school classmate’s family took him in) and learned to become highly motivated when others didn’t. They count it.

The reason, of course, for him Jimmy Butler (in the first round he averaged 37.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists with 59.7% shooting), which he carried on his back Miami Throughout this journey (his contribution is also important Antibayo(And at the same time he inspired the upside with the performances of his team-mates, who not even two months ago had shown they could display such great consistency and mental strength at the highest level)Duncan Robinson And Michael Stross).

That year’s Eastern Conference champions (with a 12-6 record in the postseason), against the teams they’ve been eliminated (dollarsAnd Nix And Celtics) had a 5-6 regular season record, and it speaks for itself for the speed and momentum they gained in meeting the challenge of winning the fourth title in their history.

as for “Jimmy Buckets“Of his 22.9 points in the regular season, his ‘orgies’ in the playoffs (27.3p., 6.8p. and 5.9p.) don’t let anyone clear it.” Miami In the fight for the cup. even if Nuggets They’re full, have more quality in their roster and from a consistently dominant season through their first 82 games of the season (first in the West and second in NBA With a record of 53-29) they have increased the form levels of their game.

Highlighting, of course, the “sweep” (4-0 in victories) with which they “finished” hopes Lakers But also… the alien “comes back”. LeBron James Since and after his injury (mo 24.7p., 9.1r., 6.3as. with 49.4% shooting)! The complete recovery of the Lake People and King in the past two months was so impressive that after eliminating the warriors, many people sawKing James“To warm up for his fifth ring! Perhaps his disappointment and his remarks that he would consider whether to continue playing, because he himself believed in him so much!”

Be that as it may, however, its amazing trajectory Denver (1-4 days Minnesota4-2 Phoenix and 4-0 Lakers) and the organization’s first historic qualification since Colorado in the World Cup finals NBAHe must be of great concern to everyone who voted for him Joel Embiid to best player from the regular season.

The reason has something to do with it Nikola Jokic, who, although he was named Most Valuable Player the previous two years, this year was more deserving of the distinction. And based on his numbers (24.5 ppg, 11.8 rds and 9.8 lbs. with 63.2% shooting), but also on the lead of his team, which for most of the season was atop the Western Conference and was almost never in danger of losing the lead.

The performance of the “jokerUnprecedented in the playoffs (30.4 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.1 assists with 54.5% shooting) and with his accomplishments, the 28-year-old Serbian is already among the best in all seasons! game (scoring, creating, and rebounding), he led his team to the top. Mike Malone.

that Nuggets They had their best qualifying game in the Western Finals, with lebron (27.8dpi, 9.5dpi, 10.0sec with 51.9% shooting) and Davis (26.8 ppg., 14.0 ppg. & 2.8 rpg. with 60.9% shooting) to stand out and Reeves (over 21.3 points and 5.3 seconds with 56% flight) f Hachimura (15.3 pixels wide and 3.8 pixels wide with 53.3% bounce) To give additional unexpected solutions, the “angry” situation in which they find themselves appears.

Oh bad lies Jamal Murray (27.0 pts, 5.4 pts, 6.6sec, 1.6kl with 92.9% volume and 39.1% mt in this year’s qualifier) ​​gives mouthwatering answers in his first full year after his serious injury, while supporting casts from Gordonfor him Michael Porter Jrfor him Caldwell Pope and the Bruce Brownmake it Denver Favorite for this year’s title. Even if they lost the land advantage for the time being.

The cool thing for all basketball fans is that two of this year’s finalists stood out for their strength and “chemistry”, the basketball they play, but also the dominance they have gained over the years during the playoffs that few could have expected.

With the score at 1-1, the sequel should be very exciting and entertaining with one final question: How is it Jokic To be named to the second best five of the year and o Murray Not even in the third…

Health 1: After the comment I posted about the result of the eight pairs in the first round of the qualifiers and I explained that eight out of the nine players are in rotation He hitshas a knack for long shots, one reader hastened to express his surprise that Miami He was 26th in field goal percentage (34.8%) behind 7.25 in the regular season.

health 2: The reason I use the word “opportunity” and not “consistency” has to do with what’s going on in this year’s qualifiers, with Miami For shooting at 39.2% and making a difference with his perimeter shot.