Will the Heat have the right answers against Nikola Jokic where the Wolves, Suns and Lakers have previously failed? With his zone defense, his hardness and an Erik Spoelstra who has already coached against great players in the playoffs, it is possible. Nevertheless, all members of the Heat know that the challenge is immense.
“He is truly unique”begins the Miami coach at a press conference. “He doesn’t really have any weaknesses. And against a player like him, we will probably need several interiors and fortunately for us, we have depth in this position. They will each bring something. No one can stop him alone in this series. It’s about fighting on every possession. »
Spoelstra clarified that Kevin Love and Cody Zeller are “important pieces” in the Miami device, precisely to have interiors to use in this case.
“Jokic will be one of the greatest interiors in basketball history,” launches the former Cleveland playerchampion in 2016. “He continues to be impressive and that goes beyond the statistics. Its impact is quite unique. He is not a player you can stop, only slow him down, make his life difficult. He’s extremely smart and does what he wants when he wants, so it’s going to take a collective effort to pull this off. It’s easier said than done. »
Not a simple individual mission, but rather a collective one
The former Charlotte player believes that one of the keys to this duel will be the experience against Jokic, even if it is also necessary to manage his excellent relationship with Jamal Murray. And Miami interiors have it.
“I’ve been in the league for ten years and defended against him a lot,” recalls Zeller. “I’m not saying that I stopped him, but I defended him a lot. The most important thing in my opinion is to have a little experience. Bam Adebayo is an excellent defender, I’m sure I’ll get my chance too. We will try smaller or taller players. All options are on the table. »
It is indeed Adebayo who will mainly take care of the Serb. How will he operate? “Forcing him to take complicated shots, take him out of his comfort zone and deal with it”, he explains. “That’s the main thing for me. I think he’s really dangerous when he involves his teammates, makes his incredible passes and finishes with 12 assists. »
Finally, if everyone has their own answer, everyone places the overall emphasis on the collective aspect of this mission. “You have to defend with five players”, thus sums up Jimmy Butler. “He does everything well, we will have to be present at all times, especially on the rebound. We cannot have absences in defense, we will have to be very concentrated. »
