🏀 Five Games to Go...

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Hey, good to see you all! There might not be any fresh games to talk about, but like Dikembe Mutombo patrolling the paint, we always got you covered.

Before we get started, a few “Thank you’s” are in order: 100,000 of them, in fact! Over on TikTok, we just hit that sweet six-figure subscriber count. So, if you want more positive hoops content to brighten your day, go drop a follow over there. And in case you missed it last week, our feature story on NBA prospect Pete Nance is out now! You can read the full piece here.

Daily Trivia

Today’s Lineup

Unlocking a Title 🔑 Three key battles that could decide this year’s champion.

LeBron on the Move 🤔 Could the King team up with an old friend?

Jarritos

The NBA season may be winding down, but our thirst for Jarritos is year-round! 🔥

No matter who you’re pulling for in the Finals, we can all agree on one thing; Jarritos is the best drink to have waiting in the fridge when the games tip off.

Whether you’re a Mango, Pineapple, or Watermelon fan, there’s no wrong way to enjoy Jarritos 🥭 🍍 🍉

There’s truly nothing like enjoying a cold Jarritos. With no high fructose corn syrup, it’s certainly not your average soda.

Go pick up a Fiesta Pack today 🎊 and see what all the hype is about!

Keys to the Series

Bad news—we don’t have any Finals games to talk about. Good news—it’s a 1-1 series that has PLENTY left in the tank. We’re not quite at the level of Coach Spo, but let’s discuss three key battles that could decide who’s taking the Larry O’Brien trophy on summer vacation.

1. Shooting Sustainably

It’s no secret the Heat are absolutely shooting the lights out and have been for weeks. Let's put it this way: the Heat shot 50% from deep in as many games (4) as the Warriors did in all four of their Finals runs combined. 🤯

Is that sustainable? Absolutely not. But, at this point, it doesn’t have to be. Miami doesn’t need this scorching streak to carry on for weeks on end: just one or two more nights of white-hot shooting will be enough to swing the series firmly in their favor.

It looks like all Denver can do to defend it is to just try and run them off the line as much as possible (especially Duncan Robinson.) The Heat are shooting nearly 45% on wide-open threes, the best mark of any Finals team since the 2017 Cavs.

2. Four v. Four

No, we’re not advocating for both teams to bench one guy for the entire game, we’re talking about everyone’s favorite position, the power forward.

In Game One, Aaron Gordon was able to bully his way into boatloads of easy buckets by playing bully ball against smaller Miami matchups. But, it wouldn’t be an Eric Spoelstra-led team without some great adjustments.

He might be rocking the salt-and-pepper beard these days, but Kevin Love proved he can still swing a Finals series when called upon. Love made Gordon work for his buckets in Game Two and gave the Heat the extra size they desperately needed down low.

Now the question is: how will Michael Malone respond? The Nuggets haven’t changed their starters all postseason, but maybe we’ll see more minutes for the speedy Bruce Brown to try and run Love out of the game.

3. What to do about Jokic?

Asking someone to stop Nikola Jokic is like asking the dinosaurs to stop an asteroid from hitting the Earth: it’s basically impossible. But, unlike our ancient scaly friends, the Heat do have some choices to make when deciding how to best contain the Serbian superstar.

In Game Two, Miami seemed more concerned with mitigating the 2x MVP’s generational playmaking ability, preferring to stay home on shooters and let Bam Adebayo guard Joker one-on-one. And…the plan worked, sort of. Jokic dropped 41 points on elite efficiency but had just four assists. Denver was just 4-8 when he had less than eight dimes in the regular season, so could the Heat look to focus on containing his passes again, or will Jokic make them pay dearly for not fearing him as a scorer?

With the series swinging to South Beach, let us know how you think Game Three will go. 👇

LeRumorMill

It might be the middle of the Finals, but it’s never too early for rumor season, people! LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led Cleveland to the promised land seven years ago, but could they do it again in a new city?

According to recent reports, Irving reached out to James about declining his player option and teaming up in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic. We put the chance of this happening at about 1.768% (we crunched the numbers) but hey, it’s fun to think about.

Would the Mavericks have no depth? Yes. Would LeBron leave after one year to team up with Bronny? Probably. Would they give us a highlight tape seemingly blessed by the basketball gods themselves? Absolutely.

Frozen Moments

• Charles Barkley and Rocky squash their beef (almost.)

• Walker Kessler asking Nikola Jokic the hard-hitting questions.

• Paul George has a wild story to tell about Stephen Adams.

What We’re Enjoying

Gary Payton sounds off on Heat Culture, NBA Finals, and more - Mat Issa (SB Nation)

College Basketball Player Finder: Amateur scouts unite! We’re just weeks away from the NBA draft, and it’s about time to start busting out those fake GM hats and get to work. It might not be a looker, but one of our favorite data hubs for college basketball is Bart Torvik’s Player Finder. This great tool lets you filter college hoopers by any stat under the sun, helping you find hidden gems for your draft board.

Signing Off

Thanks for reading, everyone! Today, we’ll keep it simple. Go give a compliment to someone who deserves it. Whether it’s that one guy at the court with a buttery smooth jumper or your friend who’s been putting in hours on FL Studio, everyone deserves to know when they’re doing great. 🏀💙

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia is Jerry West! The Logo has been involved in 30 NBA Finals as a player, coach, and executive with the Lakers and Warriors.

Before you go…

Happy Birthday to real Enjoyers of basketball Kelsey, Patrick, and Michael! We appreciate all your support. Want your name in the newsletter? Take a few minutes and fill out our survey below.