"It ain't no star against star"- Kevin Garnett says he loves the 2023 NBA Finals as it's not just LeBron James and Kevin Durant going at it
The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, who are in the 2023 NBA Finals, do not have rosters with a collection of superstars. Both teams reached the championship round by playing unselfish team ball, which isn’t always the case with super teams.
Kevin Garnett had this to say about how both teams are using the entire roster to battle in the finals (via Showtime Basketball):
“You know what’s crazy outta all this? It’s not even your three against my two. It’s like your seven, eight against my seven, eight. That’s what I love about this Finals. It ain’t no more Bron [James], KD [Durant] go at it. It ain’t no star against star. Lord, it is about this seven, eight, nine against Miami’s seven, eight, nine.”
Are the two best teams in the NBA the two teams playing in the Finals?
@KevinGarnett5KG and @paulpierce34 discuss that and many other topics around the league on the latest episode of Ticket and The Truth: youtu.be/21ojZLDq0sc https://t.co/R1BazQH3vf
In the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets have seven players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green play the most for coach Mike Malone. Christian Braun gets 12 minutes per contest.
Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat is even more willing to go deep into his bench. He has 10 players getting at least 15 minutes per game. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vicent and Caleb Martin are hitting over 30 minutes per contest. Max Strus, Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love round-up Miami’s regular contributors.
Oladipo and Herro played just one game in the playoffs, but there’s a big chance Spoelstra would have stuck with his rotation.
Against the Nuggets, Cody Zeller and Haywood Highsmith could also see a bump in their minutes for their defense and hustle. Denver’s whirring offense will push Miami to have fresh legs on the floor.
Some NBA teams can be so top-heavy that coaches are extremely hesitant to give minutes to the seventh, eighth or ninth players. One such example was the Phoenix Suns, who the Denver Nuggets eliminated in six games in the semifinals.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker averaged 41.1 and 40.5 minutes per game, respectively. No one else had more than 30.
Booker played an insane series but he couldn’t carry the Suns on his own. Denver’s relentless attack, behind its depth and balance, eventually overwhelmed Phoenix.
The 2023 NBA Finals are going to enjoy better parity in talent once Tyler Herro returns
The Miami Heat carved history by becoming the first play-in team to reach the NBA Finals. They did it with Tyler Herro playing just one game in the playoffs. Miami's lack of depth nearly cost them against the Boston Celtics.
Against the Boston Celtics, they gave up a 3-0 lead before closing out the former Eastern Conference champs in Game 7. Without Herro, Caleb Martin stepped up big time, which almost caused him to win the conference finals MVP over Jimmy Butler.
Tyler Herro is pushing for a Game 2 return on Sunday.
(via @wojespn on NBA Today) https://t.co/3KUsthJEFJ
The Denver Nuggets, in Game 1, showed that they have depth, balance, chemistry and talent. Butler and crew tried to make a run in the fourth quarter but Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had an answer for all of those rallies.
With Tyler Herro reportedly returning in Game 2 after breaking his hand, the talent gap will not be overwhelming. If the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner is ready for game-day conditions, he should be able to contribute to Miami’s championship aspirations.
Also read: When is Game 2 of NBA Finals 2023? Date, time, results so far and more