Did the Heat figure something out in Game 2 or was Denver’s effort to blame?

HEAT CULTURE rose to the occasion on Sunday with a road win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals over the Nuggets and The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz broke it all down.

Dan started by playing a clip of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra taking umbridge with a question from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne about turning Nikola Jokic into a scorer. Amin says he chalks it up to a case of Spo being combative. Amin says that even if you take issue with the phrasing of the question, we all knew what Ramona was getting at since the Heat’s strategy in Game 1 was to send help at Jokic and it did not work, Jokic killed them every time. Like the Heat, Jokic doesn’t really make mistakes and he sees it all, Amin says. So in Game 2, we saw a lot more single coverage and the idea was that if he scores the Heat would live would that. Amin thinks Ramona’s question wasn’t out of line and Spo knew what she really meant.

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Dan points out that Amin said after Game 1 don’t double Jokic because that doesn’t work and he would have said don’t use the zone because that doesn’t work since NOTHING WORKS AGAINST JOKER! But as Stugotz points out, the Nuggets are 0-3 when he scores 40-plus points.

Amin says Jokic might, offensively, be the most perfect basketball player he’s ever seen as he does it all and makes the right decision every time. Amin says he’s staggered that the Heat not only won a game with Jokic playing that well but also they won it because of DUNCAN ROBINSON?!?!? And Robinson was mean mugging? Amin’s beside himself.

Stugotz asks Amin if he thinks the Heat will come out with the same defensive philosophy for Game 3 and what can the Nuggets do to fix it. Amin says the smart thing for the Heat to do would not to just run back the same game plan from Game 2 because you don’t want to let Denver get acclimated to it. If you’re the Nuggets, he says, the biggest thing has to be how to get Jamal Murray going because getting the two-man game between him and Jokic going is important for them. Amin says the rest of the Nuggets’ supporting cast kind of feasts off what Jokic and Murray are creating, so it’s vital to get Murray going.

Dan then plays some audio of Nuggets coach Michael Malone questioning his team’s effort. Amin says he thinks Malone’s criticisms are right, albeit said with a little pizzazz, and they had a bunch of breakdowns. But the one thing Amin says he would have to say is that it also happened in Game 1, the Heat just missed a bunch of wide-open shots. The difference is that they made them on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Mike Ryan is on the ground in Vegas providing coverage of South Florida’s other team vying for a championship and he’s making the show proud as always ...

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Check out the breakdown of Monday’s show below.

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Local Hour: Cool, Carl...

IS IT THE COACHING? The Heat took down the Nuggets in Denver in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, and Dan, Stu, and the crew try to figure out...HOW?!?!?!?!? Chris Cote is in charge today, Roy has notes on the Panthers, and Billy is sick of the theatrics from Vegas hockey. Then, Parakeet Cortes invades Denver sports radio, Mike Ryan tries to join us from Vegas, and we listen to some classic Randy Moller goal calls.

The Big Suey: God’s Team

• Dan, Stu, and the Shipping Container continue to break down the Heat’s Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, this time with the help of a couple of guests. The show debates the merits of Cody Zeller playing ahead of an actual baby giraffe and listens to Jeremy’s elite Journalism from the Heat’s watch party in Miami last night. Then, Mike Ryan gains the ability to hear the zoom and lets us know his thoughts on the Heat win, the Panthers chances in Game 2, and what combination of drugs he may or may not currently be on. Plus, Amin Elhassan joins us to give us REAL basketball analysis.

Hour 1: Kang Is Dead

• Taylor Swift tickets are seemingly the hottest commodity in the world right now, and Dan is reaching out to the most powerful people he knows to try to get some. Amin continues his coverage of the NBA Finals and discusses the whereabouts of Dom Kang. Then, Ray Allen joins the show to discuss the pride he takes in his recent college graduation, the luck involved in being a winner, who he was rooting for between the Celtics and Heat, and more. Plus, Amin goes on a search for The Jokic Brothers and we continue our amazement over the emergence of Duncan Robinson in this postseason.

Hour 2: A Whale Of A Tale

• Hour 2 begins with Kyrie reportedly asking LeBron to join him in Dallas, Orcas seeking revenge, and Richard Jefferson speaking about fear while playing in the NBA Finals. Then, we speak to Julie McSorley and Liz Cottriel, the survivors of a whale attempting to eat them, about their experience, how it tested their friendship, the circumstances surrounding their trip, and what it was like inside the mouth of a whale. Plus, Stugotz has his Weekend Observations from a jam-packed weekend.

Postgame Show: Moving With A Smile

• Ricky Williams joins the show to discuss Jaylen Brown’s future in Boston, racism, and the value of an athlete’s worth as a human being. Ricky also discusses his own legacy, how money influences society and happiness, and more.

Watch more below!

VIDEO:

Check out the Le Batard and Friends YouTube page for more and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow the show on Twitter @LeBatardShow.

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