The Nuggets let go of Iguodala in the summer, and Gallinari was reimbursed for injury, which can be described as a natural disaster**, resulting in a big reduction in the combat effectiveness of last season and anyone who can break their wrists.

However, they are not fish belly that anyone can bully, and the Heat dare not be careless.

From the start of the game, James was in control of the pace of the game.

Farid may not be far behind in terms of physical fitness, but his grasp of rhythm is simply not comparable to James's.

Defending James, he looked a little reluctant.

Zhang Xiaotian faced the weakest link of the opponent, the pseudo-starter Jordan Hamilton.

The player was sloppy offensively but not very good defensively, receiving passes from James and Wade in succession.

The Nuggets can only adjust, replacing Randy Foye, who joined in the summer, and letting Wilson Chandler play the No. 3 position.

This is their strongest lineup, and after the substitution, the Nuggets' offense is slowly playing out.

It's not that the newcomer Randy Foye, but that he just got a 10 million contract in the summer, and the team's outside core Ty Lawson is powerful.

The Heat's weak No. 1 position, when encountering a stronger point guard, generally has to kneel.

This kneeling is all-round, including both offensive and defensive ends, and Bosh is one of the giants on the inside, and he only kneels to defend most of the time when he encounters strong opponents.

If you really want to say that the weakest link of the Heat is the No. 1 position or the inside line, it is not easy to say.

As the rotation players came on the court in the second half of the first quarter, James and Ty Lawson began to score as they soared.

With the efficiency of the bench lineup, both of them were good, and in the end, Ty Lawson hit a three-pointer to help the Nuggets overtake the score, and they played better than James in the first stage.

When it was Wade's turn to lead the team, the Heat felt a little difficult.

It's not that Wade is a problem, but at this point, the Heat's interior problem is even greater.

The Nuggets started with Farid and J.J. Hickson to protect the rebounds, and the big man J Timofe Mozgov off the bench made it difficult for the Heat.

The rebound missed, and the score went wrong.

With the Nuggets taking the lead in bringing on Farid, this situation is even more obvious.

When James didn't come up, Farid scored back-to-back points on the inside.

He is fast and explosive on the inside, and it's not that James is really hard to defend.

Seeing that the score was stretching away, Spoelstra also gave up on letting James rest for a while.

Fans may find it strange because the Heat need James to stay on the court not for offense, but for interior defense and rebounding.

James' offensive prowess may not be top-notch, but his versatility is what coaches like.

He can be played if there is a problem on the offensive and defensive end, and he may be the best All-Star to coach, but he is also a player who is difficult for a coach to play.

But James' starting game exposed his own weaknesses, and he missed two outside shots, which allowed the Nuggets to seize the opportunity to pull away.

Although he immediately made adjustments and became mainly on the offensive attack, the team still fell behind in the score, and at the end of the first half, the Nuggets hit another three-pointer, and the Heat fell behind by nine points at halftime.

This is something they didn't expect before, maybe the Nuggets' rebounding level is better than them, but the Heat's strength is obviously a few notches better.

If it's like this, there must be a problem with the execution.

Halftime is used to solve problems, and the first problem for the Heat to solve is rebounding.

The Nuggets mostly rely on athleticism to grab rebounds, not big centers here.

The Heat shouldn't be afraid of this way, but in the first half, not only did Bosh not grab the rebound, but even James didn't protect the rebound, which is obviously abnormal.

Zhang Xiaotian was also criticized, and the Heat's rebounding slogan is that everyone works hard, a bit of chicken soup, but in terms of the team's state, there is no way.

The Heat are a group of experienced players, and they are quite quick to adjust.

When he went up, Bosh hit a mid-range shot, but he didn't expect Wade to bump into the opponent and feel uncomfortable and leave the game early.

The heat did not depress, but aroused enthusiasm.

Zhang Xiaotian rarely did not shoot directly after receiving the pass this time, and he played much easier in the first three quarters than in the last quarter.

After making a shooting feint, he rushed directly inside, and after the two sides made physical contact, he immediately squeezed with force, and started at the same time with his arms raised.

The not-so-handsome European step is mainly to create fouls, which he learned from Ginobili and did not learn the essence, but this one in front of the other party is enough.

And physical confrontation is what he is best at.

The referee's whistle sounded, and Zhang Xiaotian hit both free throws.

Then he added physical contact in the defense, which annoyed the opponent, and when he defended him on the offensive end again, there was another mistake.

The Nuggets had to make substitutions again, and Zhang Xiaotian's sudden strength made their pseudo-starters play too little.

It's just that in the face of Wilson Chandler, Zhang Xiaotian can't be so strong, this guy is also a ruthless character, all he has to do is to entangle the other party and limit the threat on the offensive end.

Wade's departure has some impact on the Heat, but it doesn't have much impact if the opponent is the Nuggets.

The Nuggets' interior line is more unconventional than the Heat, with excellent physical fitness and can grab, but it can't be under the basket.

If James hits inside, they can't hold it down, so it's not much different whether the outside line is Ray Allen or Wade, but James is tired.

But with Zhang Xiaotian here, there is no need for James to carry it alone.

Zhang Xiaotian's value, the more obvious it is at the critical moment, and the Heat is definitely earned.

In the third quarter, the Heat came back by four points, and the score was 72-77.

And Wade is not there, Zhang Xiaotian must have gone up to bring a substitute at the beginning of the last quarter to buy James a few minutes to rest.

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw deliberately left a few key players on the court in an attempt to extend the lead while James was resting and ensure a win to end the losing streak.

Wilson Chandler was also aggressive, making a single Zhang Xiaotian stance.

Their idea is good, but Zhang Xiaotian will definitely not agree.

James rests below, so it's up to him on the court.

Wilson Chandler accelerated, his body was already pulled up while he was still moving, and Zhang Xiaotian's defense, he didn't pay attention to it at all.

But immediately he realized his mistake, and his acceleration did not get rid of Zhang Xiaotian at all.

A long arm reached out, and Wilson Chandler's two-point shot hit the nail on the head.

The Heat launched a counterattack after receiving the rebound, Zhang Xiaotian was in front of the basket, and the three-point line went in one step to receive a pass from his teammates.

He didn't even stop, he just wiped it inside, and before the Nuggets could react, the basketball had already been smashed into the basket by him.

Wonderful!