The Miami Heat suffered a big loss in Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals, succumbing to the Denver Nuggets at home, 108-95. The Floridian failed to surprise the Nuggets again, taking a big L and going back to Denver in a complex position.
Much was said about their role players’ inability to show up in the last two games, which differs a lot from what the Nuggets’ agents have done so far. Udonis Haslem had a big response to these claims against the Heat’s undrafted players, saying that they are talented regardless of their backgrounds.
“It’s disrespectful for people to say that because you can’t just trick your way into the Finals. It takes talent,” Haslem told Bleacher Report before exiting the locker room on Friday night.
Haslem made it clear that this isn’t a quality issue, reminding people that these players took the Heat to the Finals. The veteran explained that if they can stop making silly mistakes, it all will be better for the team.
“I don’t know what the f— they’re talking about with that s—. Yes, we have some undrafted players, but they’re also talented players and we’ve made it this far. We just have to limit our mistakes.
“They got 20 points off our f—ing [14] turnovers. That s— can’t happen. But I believe in this team just like I did on those teams when we had D-Wade and LeBron [James]. I have no doubt we’ll respond accordingly.”
Haslem is doing a great job here protecting his players, but it’s clear that they haven’t played better in the past two games. Miami needs much more than this to even aspire to compete toe-to-toe with the Nuggets, let alone beat them three straight games.
The Heat’s Undrafted Player Have Been Missing In The Last Two Games
The Miami Heat have played seven undrafted players during the 2023 NBA Playoffs: Udonis Haslem, Haywood Highsmith, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and Omer Yurtseven.
In Game 4 of the series, Max Strus recorded zero points while Gabe Vincent barely scored two. Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin scored 12 and 11 points respectively, but it wasn’t still good enough for the Heat. Strus and Vincent were key factors in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this series has been too much for them.
If Miami wants to extend this series, they will need to step up in Game 5. Otherwise, the Nuggets can already bring out the champagne at Ball Arena. The Heat have been praised for their ability to find talent in undrafted players, but the last couple of games have shown they aren’t good enough to win it all.
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