Game 4 of the NBA Finals is a must-win affair for the Miami Heat. They currently trail the Denver Nuggets 2-1 after losing in Game 3. Denver's mixture of elite star-power and impressive depth has proven to be a lot to handle for Miami. The Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray duo is lethal when both players are on their games. The Heat must make adjustments in Game 4 if they want to climb back in this series.
Without further ado, here are three adjustments the Heat must make for Game 4.
Limit Jamal Murray
The Heat must contain Jamal Murray. The fact is that Nikola Jokic is just as effective as a passer as he is a scorer. He's going to find the open man. If Jamal Murray is that open man, Denver is going to score a lot of points. 109 is all they needed to win Game 3, but they are capable of adding even more points on the board if necessary when Murray is playing well.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently scoffed at a question about turning Jokic into a scorer or passer. However, Jokic scored 32 points in Denver's Game 3 win, while Murray added 34. In the Heat's Game 2 victory, Murray scored just 18 points, while Jokic dropped 41.
When Jokic posts a lot of points but Murray struggles, the Nuggets don't perform as well. In similar fashion to how the Nuggets have limited Caleb Martin in the NBA Finals, the Heat should pay extra attention to Murray.
Heat must drive to the basket more
The Heat's lack of free throws in Game 1 was a topic of discussion. Game 2 saw the Heat take more shots from the line. In Game 3, however, only Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Gabe Vincent took free throws. In other words, Miami is settling for mid-range and three-point shots instead of driving to the basket.
Living by the three-point shot works for some teams, and Miami shouldn't abandon it, but driving to the basket more would help in a number of different ways.
The obvious answer is that it could lead to more free throws and layups/dunks. Additionally, driving to the basket would place more pressure on the Nuggets. As a result, Denver may face foul trouble. Forcing their hand in the post on defense is something Miami must find a way to do.
The team must be more aggressive, but this is especially true for Jimmy Butler. He attempted only six free throws in Game 3. Meanwhile, he took 24 shots from the field. With Butler struggling to find the bottom of the net on a consistent basis, he needs to start driving more.
Get Duncan Robinson more involved
Driving to the basket is important. For Duncan Robinson, however, he needs to keep shooting three-pointers. The Heat must utilize him more. He shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, but took just six total three-point attempts in Game 3. The Nuggets aren't exactly going to make it their primary focus to contain Robinson.
If Miami starts driving to the basket more, defenders will collapse leaving shooters open on the outside. This could lead to assist opportunities with Robinson waiting for the ball. This may seem like a high number, but Robinson should take no less than 10 three-point attempts. Even if he struggles with his shot early, he's a talented enough shooter to get back on track.
Robinson will be the offensive X-Factor in Game 4.
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