Without a victory in Game 4 of the Finals, the Miami Heat‘s chances of winning a championship will greatly diminish.

After their Game 3 loss, fans are treating Friday night’s game as the most consequential of the series.

Loyal Heat followers think they will pull off a win but Shannon Sharpe doesn’t believe so.

He is predicting that the Denver Nuggets will be victorious in Game 4.

“The Nuggets are the better team and eventually the better team in a series will win,” Sharpe said on Friday’s Undisputed.

.@ShannonSharpe picks the Nuggets to win Game 4 to go up 3-1 in NBA Finals:

"The Nuggets are the better team and eventually the better team in a series will win." pic.twitter.com/hRkdsRKD5q

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) June 9, 2023

Sharpe pointed to the incredible output of both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic as the biggest reason why the Nuggets will walk away with the big win.

He said that the Heat don’t have answers for both of those players.

He also said that if both Murray and Jokic do what they’ve been doing, the Nuggets only need about 30 points from a few other players to cruise to a win.

Sharpe noted that Bam Adebayo of the Heat is doing all he can to slow or stop Jokic but he needs help with that task.

That stretches the Heat thin.

That, compared with some of the troubles that Jimmy Butler has been having, is making life very hard for Miami.

The Heat are looking to score a very important home victory with Friday’s game.

If they are able to do that, they will even the series before it heads back to Denver.

If they lose, many people will predict that the Finals are pretty much over.

Murray and Jokic will try to make some noise in Game 4 – and the Heat will try to silence them.

The post Shannon Sharpe Makes His Game 4 Prediction for Nuggets, Heat appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets has gotten the attention of just about every NBA fan lately.

His performances in the playoffs have been phenomenal and have helped his team reach its first Finals.

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is just one of the many people wowed by what Murray is doing.

“The growth of Jamal Murray in these playoffs has actually been… as much of a key to Denver’s dominance in the playoffs as Joker has been,” Green said on his podcast.

"The growth of Jamal Murray in these playoffs has actually been… as much of a key to Denver's dominance in the playoffs as Joker has been"

—@Money23Green breaks down the ascendency of the Nuggets point guard pic.twitter.com/hWgJXhLNQV

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 9, 2023

Green admitted that Murray had a series of up-and-down games earlier in the postseason, not performing as well as he’d like.

But he has recently sprung to life in a huge way and has made the Nuggets even more impressive and difficult to defeat.

Nikola Jokic has naturally been the most pressing issue for teams playing against Denver.

From the Timberwolves to the Suns to the Lakers and now the Heat, every team has done what it can to slow him down.

Murray has allowed Denver to keep scoring in some big ways.

He has played expertly alongside Jokic as well and has made defending the Nuggets seemingly impossible at times.

This is key to them winning games.

Now the Heat have more to worry about than just Jokic and his scoring and passing abilities.

They also have to keep an eye on Murray because he can get hot from all over the floor and create assists as well.

The duo of Jokic and Murray has become one of the best in the league.

Because of their hard work, they are now getting closer to winning their first Finals.

The post Draymond Green Says 1 Nuggets Player’s Growth Has Been Key To Dominance appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat is back in the NBA Finals and that is causing people to talk about his place in the history of the league.

Some people think he is one of the best of this generation, despite the fact that he hasn’t yet won a championship ring.

Others think that he is lacking in some important areas.

Stephen A. Smith created a small firestorm online with his latest comments about Butler.

“You think about superstars and what we usually get from those superstars in terms of offensive production, that’s not Jimmy,” Smith said on First Take.

.@stephenasmith doesn't think Jimmy Butler can be the best player on a championship team

"You think about superstars and what we usually get from those superstars in terms of offensive production, that's not Jimmy." pic.twitter.com/x2ejL8VjMV

— First Take (@FirstTake) June 9, 2023

This comment from Smith immediately got people talking – and almost everyone online came out in support of Butler.

Some people felt that this was just what Butler needed to hear to motivate him before Friday’s pivotal Game 3.

Jimmy's dropping 40 tonight for sure.

— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) June 9, 2023

Meanwhile, others said that Heat fans would have the last laugh after Butler and Miami win the Finals.

Keep all the Receipts Heat fans !!

— Shifu (@tee_louwee_91) June 9, 2023

Several people noted that Butler and his Heat are the only team in the league to reach the Finals twice during the era of Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

They may not have won yet but the Heat have been competing against some of the best of the best for years now.

Saying this when he is one of the only players to make it to the Finals TWICE in an era dominated by Curry and Lebron is certainly a choice…

— Socialmediauser34 (@SMUser34) June 9, 2023

And many others were calling out Smith because Butler has done what other players haven’t been able to.

No matter what his offensive production is, Butler is in the Finals again while players like Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant sit at home.

Yo @stephenasmith what makes a superstar? Since Jimmy Butler came up the heat they have been in the finals twice and ECF 3 times. I don’t see KD Embid or Jason Tatum there. Do you?

— Jacqueline S (@JPS0410) June 9, 2023

Butler has had his issues and his team has certainly fallen short in the past.

But it’s clear that he is definitely one of the most important parts – if not the most important part – of this Heat roster.

The post Fans React To What Stephen A. Smith Said About Jimmy Butler appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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