RIDICULOUS STAT suggests Nikola Jokic and Nuggets will sweep Jimmy Butler and Heat

How the Denver Nuggets have dominated the East and the Heat this season

RIDICULOUS STAT suggests Nikola Jokic and Nuggets will sweep Jimmy Butler and Heat

Jimmy Butler, right, defending Nikola Jokic, left. (Via USA Today sports)

The Miami Heat had no answer for the Nuggets in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Denver dominated Miami 104-93 at the Ball Arena on Thursday night, extending their unbeaten run against East teams to 13 games. The last time they fell to an East team was more than two months ago.

The Nuggets have been riding the wave of their MVP Nikola Jokic, who has been putting on a show in the postseason. He recorded his ninth triple-double of the playoffs in Game 1, with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.

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Jokic has been rewriting the record books with his triple-double spree. He is the only player in history to post a triple-double in three consecutive playoff series, and he has smashed the record for most triple-doubles in a single postseason. He is also the first big man to average more than 10 assists per game in the playoffs.

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Jokic has been unstoppable on both sides of the court, scoring from everywhere and finding his teammates for easy scores. He has made 54.2% of his shots from inside the arc in the playoffs. He has also been a masterful passer, dishing out 10.5 assists per game in the playoffs, the most by a center ever. He has received a lot of support from his fellow stars, such as Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Monte Morris.

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Miami Heat face uphill battle against the Denver Nuggets

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Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat (Via Getty Images)

The Heat are facing an uphill battle. They came into the Finals as the eighth seed in the East, and they have defied expectations by making it this far. They have leaned on their leaders Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson, who have all delivered in big moments.

But the Heat had no answer for the Nuggets in Game 1. They couldn’t buy a bucket from anywhere on the floor (40.6%) or from deep (33.3%). They also barely got any calls, only shooting two free throws, the lowest by any team in any playoff game ever.

The Heat will need to regroup for Game 2 on Sunday. They will need to figure out how to contain Jokic and his vision. They will also need to be more assertive on offense and draw more contact. They will need to use their grit and experience to bounce back from this lopsided loss. But that might not be enough. The Nuggets are playing with swagger and cohesion, and they look like they are unstoppable.

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