The NBA playoffs continue, the East and West finals have been played three games, the result is beyond our expectations, the Heat 3-0 lead the Green Army, the Nuggets are 3-0 lead the Lakers, throughout the history of the NBA, there has never been a 0-3 downturn, so the Heat and Nuggets will meet in the Finals, basically a certainty, so who is stronger and weaker of the two teams? The 8 positions are comprehensively compared, and the gap is larger than expected.
Point guard matchup, Murray vs Vincent, there is no suspense in this set of matchups, although in the East Final G3, Vincent burst and scored 29 points, but it is incomparable with Murray. Let's take a look at Murray's playoff statistics, averaging 35 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game during the Western Conference finals, shooting 52%, 45% and 93% from the field, which is the performance of superstars, so this set of duels Nuggets wins, how to defend Murray, will become a headache for the Heat.
Quarterback matchup, Pope vs Strus, we directly compare the playoff data, Pope averaged 11.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 48.8%. Strus averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, shooting 47.4 percent from the field, which is clearly Pope's superiority. Playing next to Jokic, Pope tends to get plenty of open opportunities, and he shoots accurately and threatens the ball beyond Strus.
Small forward matchup, Porter vs Butler, this is the biggest advantage of the Heat, Butler's performance during the playoffs is a historical level, the more critical the time, he tends to step up and take over the game, during the playoffs, Butler averaged 29.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, shooting 51.1%. Porter, on the other hand, has 14.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists, shooting 46.9% from the field, and Butler has the absolute upper hand, but Porter's accurate shooting ability will also cause some trouble for the Heat.
Power forward matchup, Gordon vs Love, Nuggets won again, Gordon did not have many offensive scenes in the Nuggets, but still averaged 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 47.4%. Love averaged only 7.0 points per game and shot 37.8%, and although Love occasionally becomes a surprise soldier, it is clearly not comparable to Gordon, who is younger and more impactful.
Center matchup, Jokic vs Adebayo, another group without suspense, can Adebayo prevent Jokic? The answer is obviously impossible, and the thick-eyed brother can't do it. Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game in the playoffs, a standard triple-double per game, and Adebayo (18.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game) was no problem.
Next is the bench comparison, the Nuggets' stronger bench players are Brown, Jeff Green and Braun, as for Reggie Jackson, Bryant and Jordan Jr., etc., almost did not play during the playoffs. Looking at the Heat, their bench has Duncan Robinson, Martin, Lowry and Zeller, these four big players, if the Finals Hiro returns, then it will also be extremely powerful, so in terms of the bench, the Heat will have the upper hand.
Outside firepower is important, the Nuggets shooters are numerous, and the starting five have the ability to shoot threes. On the Heat's side, there are many who can shoot three-pointers, but in terms of system, the Nuggets have Jokic, the passing master, so pitchers tend to get better shots, and the Nuggets are better than the Heat on three-point firepower.
Finally, the head coach comparison, Malone VS Spoo, the head coach game is difficult to say who wins and who loses, Spoo is extremely adaptable and can quickly grasp the situation of the game, Malone is not to be outdone, the head coach comparison, we are evenly divided.
To sum up, we found that the Heat only has the absolute upper hand in the small forward position, the bench is a small win, the other six are not as good as the Nuggets, the gap between the two teams on paper is still obvious, Butler can lead the team to eliminate the Bucks, Knicks and Green Army (high probability), but in the face of the Nuggets, it is still too difficult, from the series with the Lakers can be seen, the Nuggets' strength is not small, coupled with the home court advantage, the two teams in the Finals play, the Heat is fierce.