Much of the talk prior to Game 1 was about the Miami Heat’s varying defensive schemes, especially the use of the zone. Mainly because of Nikola Jokic’s ability to scan the floor and destroy zones from the middle/top, Erik Spoelstra was a bit more shy than usual in using it.
But down by 21 points entering the fourth quarter, the Heat had to try anything. So they resorted to the zone and it worked, with Miami winning the last quarter by 10, allowing only 20 points on 35% from the floor for Denver, with no threes made. A small wrinkle that could dictate some changes for Game 2.