Five key NBA Finals storylines: Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic can boost legacy, Tyler Herro’s health, more

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The 2023 NBA Finals features a matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. Both have played some extremely impressive basketball to make it this far, and now they’ll look to end the season as the last squad standing. The two teams are meeting in the Finals for the first time, and while the series might not be the one fans expected to see when the playoffs started in April, it still features plenty of intrigue. 

Here’s a look at five key storylines to keep in mind heading into the series. 

The health of Tyler Herro is a major storyline heading into the NBA Finals. Herro hasn’t played for Miami since fracturing his hand during the first game of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks. Herro has been ramping up his rehab ahead of a potential return to action, and now the question is if — and when — that return will come. Herro has already been ruled out of the first game of the series, but he potentially return later in the series and provide Miami with an offensive boost.

“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves right now. He’s still just starting this process,” Eric Spoelstra said of Herro ahead of Game 1. “We do have a few days here just to continue his work. I can’t even make any kind of proclamation until he takes these next important steps, and that’s with contact and doing things more on the court live.” 

It remains to be seen how much Herro would play even if he is fully cleared, as it’s tough to jump directly into playing at the highest level after an extended absence, but his point production is something that the Heat could use in order to keep pace with an offense as potent as Denver’s. 

As the stars of their respective squads, Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler will both be battling to bolster their legacies in this series, as leading a team to a title does wonders for the way one is perceived in the present and remembered in the long run. 

Jokic will solidify himself as one of the best centers of all time if he’s able to add a ring to his trophy case that already contains two MVP awards. Jokic is already in…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/five-key-nba-finals-storylines-jimmy-butler-nikola-jokic-can-boost-legacy-tyler-herros-health-more/

Author : Michael Kaskey-Blomain

Publish date : 2023-06-01 16:35:09

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