2023 NBA Finals
Previous breakdowns on the Nuggets & Heat.
Previewing the 2023 NBA Finals was kind of difficult for me to find “new” angles to attack it from and the quick turnaround did not help things. Throughout the playoffs and previous seasons, I have broken down the Heat's defense & zone defense especially as well as the Nuggets’ offense and defense. I have included these breakdowns below and wanted this to be a resource for anyone looking for more information on either of these teams for the 2023 NBA Finals.
A huge thank you to Factor for sponsoring the last breakdown, a company that I personally have used and will continue to use for quick and easy meals that taste great. If interested, head to Factor’s website and use code HALFCOURTHOOPS50 to get 50% off your first Factor box!
For the 2023 NBA Playoffs I will be doing game & series breakdowns throughout - the best way to support is to become a paid subscriber with the NBA Playoffs Sale!
Either way, I thank you for reading, supporting & sharing my work and I hope I have been able to help.
Denver Nuggets Offensive System
In the latest breakdown, I looked at why the Denver Nuggets are so difficult to guard, not only through Nikola Jokic’s incredible basketball genius but how Murray and their spacing unlock their offense. Combining their spacing, and cutting in their motion allows for them to make reads seamlessly when running sets in their playbook and they become almost impossible to stop.
Miami Heat 2-3 Zone Defense
About 3 years ago I broke down the Miami Heat 2-3 zone defense and while some things have changed (I touch on in the Heat ECF preview), for the most part, the philosophy and responsibilities have stayed the same.
More film on the Heat’s 2-3 Zone and how to beat it from film in the past:
Coach's Cut - Miami Heat's 2-3 Zone Defense
Coach's Cut - How to beat the Heat's 2-3 zone defense
Previous breakdowns on the Heat’s Offense & Defense from before the Eastern Conference Finals:
Miami Heat Defense
Miami Heat Offense
Previous breakdowns on the Nuggets’ Offense & Defense from before the Western Conference Finals:
Denver Nuggets Defense
Denver Nuggets Offense
I also broke down specifically a great adjustment that the Nuggets made against the Suns to keep Jokic out of pick and rolls and the creativity and flexibility of their staff at times:
Jokic & Nuggets Key Adjustment
Before the season I did some general previews of both teams that covers some basic stats and thoughts as well as some film on their favorite actions and plays:
📝 Playbooks:
2023 NCAA Tournament Playbook | 2023 Uconn Huskies Playbook | NCAA Tournament Bundle (2018-2023)
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I hope you enjoyed this breakdown, and as always thank you again for all of your support and for sharing my work.
Outwork Yesterday
Coach Pyper