The Green Machine waited 151 nights for revenge and, in the meantime, reloaded with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis while it licked its wounds. Game 7’s home loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals was just the fifth experience for the NBA’s third-oldest club. It was also the first time the Heat took one of those, known as the “greatest two words in sports” on the road.

 

Friday’s contentious affair started with the Celtics exploiting the Heat’s weak corner protection. Yet the Heat raced to an 11-point lead six minutes in as Kevin Love’s outlet passing pushed the pace, Adebayo assaulted the square, putting Porziņģis in foul trouble, while Tyler Herro bombarded over breakdowns. Then Boston went on a 12-4 run on a flurry of rim attacks.

 

In the second quarter, Jayson Tatum scored seven of nine points with Jaime Jaquez as his cover, splashing a left-wing triple, dusting and powering past him on the baseline. Jaylen Brown also had seven in frame two, intercepting an inbound for a dunk on Miami’s turf with a corner triple and layup against drop coverage.

 

For the Heat, Adebayo punched in eight more points, Duncan Robinson splashed back-to-back triples and Dru Smith canned a pair of trays as Jimmy Butler was invisible. With fewer than three minutes left in the half, the Celtics seized its first lead since early in the first quarter.

 

At intermission, the Heat was down 55-60, having permitted Boston 10 offensive rebounds that turned into 14 second-chance points. Equally concerning was that the hosts had scored 32 points in the paint and had recovered 57.6% of the rebounds, giving them four extra shots.

 

In the third quarter, Herro hit consecutive trifectas at the top and blew past Holiday on a drive. Adebayo charged at the cup multiple times and hit another faceup, midrange jumper over Porziņģis. For the stretch, the Heat converted 59.1% of its tries and were up a point entering the fourth quarter.

 

Then the Derrick White show began, with a 3-pointer at the key and a drive against drop coverage to extend Boston’s lead to three. He recorded nine more on his scorecard for the frame, plus Brown had a dozen. The visitors never claimed control again, despite Porziņģis fouling out with three minutes left with his team up seven. 

 

As the leprechauns’ fireworks display was ensuing, only four field goals dropped for the Heat- out of 19. Miami was forced to play mainly from the outside in the fourth and only scored one two-pointer– four minutes after making a singular shot in six attempts.

 

But the Heat had a chance, down three points with under a minute remaining.  Butler and Herro trapped White and the ball came loose. White saved it before dribbling over the halfcourt line, yet Butler was flagged for a penalty. Coach Erik Spoelstra challenged the ruling, but it was unsuccessful. He then screamed at referee Kevin Scott that he missed the call.

 

The Celtics were the nastier team, leading by four in loose ball recovered and offensive rebounds collected by five and won 119-111.

 

At the postgame presser, Spo said, “My view is one thing, and the explanation is another thing… that call didn’t go our way, but we had plenty of opportunities, particularly on the glass. I think if we just [cleaned] up those areas, we probably are playing from a position of control a little bit more often in the second half.”

 

In the winning side press room, Tatum was pleased not to carry the load late.  He said, “It shows the depth of our team… it felt good to win this way.”

Despite the Miami Heat striking out on Damian Lillard and folding on Bradley Beal, the next best alternative is not seeking the services of the man who has had a problem almost everywhere he’s been.

James Harden’s behavior perpetually plummets his attractiveness to any organization. At this point, it apparently means little that he is number three all-time in three-point makes, a former MVP, and a seven-time All-NBAer. Could it be, this time, that not even one team out there has convinced themselves that the Beard’s disruptions and shrinking in big moments are exactly what they need?

Yes.

President of basketball ops Daryl Morey has scared away suitors, demanding an exuberant return relative to his disgruntled employee’s talents. But Harden likely did more damage to his cause, engaging in a futile scorched earth tactic that only works when you’re still at the top. Last time I checked, he’s not as fast or impactful through residence at the free throw line as he used to be. If anyone brings it up to him, he’ll lean on old faithful: “Next question.”

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly don’t want to part with Terance Mann, a quality role player, in an exchange. This should say enough about others not wanting to put up with an aging headache in spite of him being a slight upgrade on the court. Even with Caleb Martin being eligible for an opt-out in a year, including him with other assets/players is not worth it for the Miami Heat because Harden can’t switch and contain multiple positions. Tyler Herro? Get real. Nobody is trading a nice player on the come-up for a lease.

Additionally, Harden’s catch and shoot frequency (12.8%) is nearly half of Tyler Herro’s (25.4), on a marginally higher percentage.

But Heat Culture can change him…

Oh yea? Did this culture, when it was the mystique for the Purple and Gold, change Maurice Lucas on the ‘86 Lakers? Nope. He was all about himself and believed he was so much better than he was at the time. Like Harden today.

If Pat Riley got upset at Byron Scott’s marriage during All-Star weekend, fearing it was a distraction to his team (per Jeff Pearlman, author of Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s), it’s beyond reasoning that he’d be elated to bring in the peep show enthusiast when everybody today has a portable camera. Harden should have been born 40 years sooner to play on Pat‘s teams.

Has anyone forgotten what Kevin McHale, his former coach, said fairly recently about Harden’s interest level after getting benched in a Playoff win against the Clippers in 2015? “The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired [11] games into the season.”

I’ll admit, Harden used to be damned good. In the three seasons he logged over 30 a night, he was playing a shockingly high amount of iso ball and embarrassing defenders. It’s an impossible style to win with because the offense becomes painfully predictable with a lack of ball and player movement. But for those few years, he was as good as a solo act got in the league.

Buyer beware: that guy is never coming back unless he gets traded to NBA Siberia and hijacks the operation.

Last season, Harden led all players in assists (10.7) at age 33. It’s pretty impressive, regardless of playing with the MVP Joel Embiid. But then the 76ers met up with the Boston Celtics, and he played scared in Game 7. He passed up open looks from close-to-mid range and sparsely contributed nine points on three of 11 shots, with seven assists and five turnovers. For the year, his effective field goal percentage was 53.6. In the Playoffs, it dropped to 47.8%.

This man badly wants to escape from the team with the MVP and a new championship coach. It’s unreasonable to think he is serious about winning.

The Miami Heat has been operational since the 1988-89 season.  Through its halls have passed some of the league’s greatest players.   The names below are staples of the culture and the most impactful competitors to represent the Heat.  

 

Honorable Mention- Mario Chalmers:

 

Chalmers was a great activator. His versatility as a combo guard made him an excellent catch-and-shoot option and cutter next to Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.  In the corners, Rio converted 44.6% of his tries, and those shots were 30% of his field goal attempts.  His marksmanship helped gape driving lanes in the half court, and he was good for a couple of paint baskets too.

 

Defensively, he was solid, reading the passing lanes and staying in front of ball handlers. 

 

During the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 Playoff runs, The Superintendent (Chalmers) averaged 10.4 points nightly while splashing 35.6% of his 3-point shots.   

 

One of his finest moments in White Hot was Game 4 of the 2012 Finals in Miami, dueling Russell Westbrook.  He recorded 25 points to Westbrook’s 43, but both couldn’t stop each other.  Chalmers relocated on the perimeter for catch-and-shoot bombs supplied by James and feasted on drive and cuts, finishing layups through traffic.  He tied with Wade for the second-leading scorer on the Heat. 

 

In the 2013 Finals, Chalmers got his licks in (19 points) on the Spurs as they were routed in Game 2. He dropped six quick points at the end of the third quarter that ignited a 32-6 run for Miami for the next eight minutes.  In Game 6, with the Heat facing elimination, Chalmers scored 20 points, making 63.6% of his field goals and four of five triples in 42 minutes.

 

If only coach Erik Spoelstra trusted him more in 2011. 

 

10. Udonis Haslem

 

The Captain recently retired after 20 years of service, becoming the only guy alongside Dirk Nowitzki (21) and Kobe Bryant (20) to play at least two decades for one team.  

 

In his younger days, he was the perfect four next to Wade, capable of hitting the midrange shot, extending + denying possessions and playing fierce defense. As a third-year forward, Haslem was first in offensive rebounds during the 2006 Finals, where he averaged over six boards and over a steal.  

 

UD was one of the toughest men in the league.  He averaged at least eight rebounds in six seasons, one coming alongside the Big Three (2011).  

 

UD is a role model who gave up minutes so others could have opportunity and develop their skills.  He didn’t play much after 2016, but he could have if he wanted to go elsewhere.  In his career finale, Haslem scored 24 points on nine of 17 shots. 

 

9.Goran Dragić:

 

Steve Nash’s understudy, who later turned into an All-Star for the Heat, was the good soldier through multiple builds. He was elevated to team co-captain in October 2017 after leading the club in scoring the first year of Dwyane Wade’s departure.  He kept the title until he was included in the sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry.  

 

In seven years with Miami, Dragić played in 431 games, regular season and Playoffs combined. In 2018, he was like a wrecking ball attached to a crane for destruction when entering the lane.  He converted 57% of his layup attempts that year, and only 27.3% of his two-point shots were assisted. 

 

In the Orlando bubble, Dragić was Miami’s leading scorer, sweeping the Indiana Pacers and its second leader in the stat against the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.  While balling in Game 1 of the Finals, he tore his left plantar fascia, benching him until the last match, but he was still wounded.  

 

He was more than a gateway player between builds. Dragić was a star when Miami needed him to be one.  In his tenure, he recorded 13,394 minutes in a Heat uniform and finished 10th in Playoff scoring for the outfit (712). The Dragon will never be forgotten.

 

8.Bam Adebayo:

 

Bam Adebayo has become the Heat’s second-best draft pick, selected at 14th in the 2017 Draft.  In six seasons, he developed into a top-five defender and playmaking big with range up to 16 feet from the cup. 

 

Adebayo just turned 26 in July, and he’s already been a starter on two teams that made the NBA Finals while making the All-Star Game in both campaigns.  In NBA history, there are only 17 Center/Power Forwards who, at 26 or younger, had started for more conference champions than Adebayo, per Stathead.  He is also one of 37 players to do it twice by his age.  

 

Against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Finals, #13 was Miami’s strongest performer. He logged 21.8 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists on 41.7 minutes a night through five matches, primarily guarding Nikola Jokić too.  For the regular season (2023), Adebayo scored 1,098 points in the paint, second of all players, just behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 2020, he finished fourth. 

 

Since “Paint Points” have been recorded by the NBA since the 1996/1997 season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Hassan Whiteside are the only other Heatles who have been top 10 in the stat. 

 

7.Chris Bosh:

 

CB sacrificed the most during the Big Three’s four-year dominion of the East.  He was a hybrid big with an inside-out game on both sides. His screening and deep jumper opened avenues for his partners, and he missed just 25 regular season games during that stretch. On nights when James or Wade, or both rested, Bosh would take over.

 

In road trips against the Hawks and Spurs without Wade and James and versus the Trail Blazers without #6, Bosh delivered a dub each night in style. First, on Jan. 5, 2012, in Hotlanta, he splashed a right-wing triple when Chalmers got doubled at the top of the key. 

 

Next season in San Antonio, on March 31, 2013, he buried another catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from straight away as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter followed Ray Allen to the left side. 

 

 In Portland on Dec. 28, 2013, off a poor feed from Wade, who was iced on the roll, Bosh canned a right-wing bomb over two defenders to close the curtains.  

 

His finest moment came in the last seconds of regulation during Game 6 of the 2013 Finals when James missed a left-wing triple.

 

“Rebound to Bosh, kicks it to Allen…,”  ABC broadcaster Mike Breen exclaimed live. Then Allen’s 3-pointer swished, forcing five more minutes.  At the end of overtime, Bosh tracked Green curling to the corner off a sideline inbound, met him 24 feet out, and denied the tie.  

 

When James left for Cleveland, Bosh shifted back to the first option. As the go-to guy, he earned two more All-Star selections until blood clots ended his career.  

 

6.Shaquille O’Neal:

 

O’Neal arrived in Miami at 32 but had three-and-a-half years of Diesel left in the tank.  In his first season in White Hot, he was second in field goal percentage (60.1) and #2 in MVP voting. Despite lower production than his season averages, he still logged a double-double in the 2006 Finals. Additionally, during that Playoff run, he was the league leader in offensive rebounds (75) and blocks (34).

 

Heat president Pat Riley said in 2016 O’Neal was the biggest whale he ever caught, giving him the most credit for “changing everything” for the Heat.

 

O’Neal could float in the air, power through and around defenders, and at times, devour double teams and glide down the court like a runaway train. 

 

In Game 6 of the 2006 ECF, O’Neal took charge, dropping 28 points, 16 boards and five blocks to push the Heat into its first championship series. In the next series, he assisted the squad in defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

 

In three Playoff runs with Miami, Shaq Fu averaged 18.8 points, nine rebounds and one-and-a-half blocks. 

 

5. Tim Hardaway: 

 

It’s been 25 years since Hardaway last suited up for the Heat, and he still holds the two best passing seasons for the club. In 1998, he logged 672 dimes, and in 1997, 695.  The only other Heat player to crack 600 assists in a year is Sherman Douglas, doing so twice.

 

In 1997, Hardaway was the decision maker for Miami’s first 60-win (61) season, and with Alonzo Mourning, led it to the ECF, losing in five games to Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

 

His crossover was one of the most lethal moves defenders have ever seen, creating separation for a jumper or dive to the hole.  Between 1997 and 2001, only 20.2% of his two-point shots were helped on by teammates.  

 

4. Alonzo Mourning:

 

Zo was the Heat’s first superstar. When he was traded to the Heat in 1995, it went from being a cute expansion group to a team on the rise.  The face of the team wasn’t just Pat Riley anymore, but a ruthless, two-way big with a dazzling smile shared that honor.

 

In 1997, he and Hardaway led Miami to the ECF, losing in five to the champions, who would repeat.  Then, the Heat fell three years straight to the Knicks. 

 

After helping Team USA win gold in the Sydney Olympics, Zo was gearing up for the next season (2000/2001) when a physical exam returned problematic.  He was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which robbed him of his gifts. Although, his health improved shortly, and he was able to play in the last 13 games of that year. But the condition persisted after the 2001/2002 season, where he played in 75 games.  He missed all of the following year.

 

Eventually, after a kidney transplant in December 2002, a short stint with the New Jersey Nets, and getting traded to the Toronto Raptors, who bought him out, Zo was back in black.  He would go on to play a reduced but highly impactful role in Miami’s win in the 2006 Finals.  In his brief 14 minutes in Game 6, Zo swatted five of Dallas’ attempts.  He led the series in blocks (9), playing just 66 minutes.

 

 3.Jimmy Butler:

 

 In four years, the Jimmy Butler experience has resulted in two Finals trips, three tours to the Conference Finals, the most Playoff wins for any team since 2019/2020 (38) and a handful of personal awards. 

 

Butler led the Heat, as the fifth seed, past the East’s first-ranked Bucks in round two and the third-positioned Celtics in the ECF in 2020. In the Finals, he recorded two triple-doubles in Miami’s wins over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

 

After he missed the pull-up 3-pointer to tie in Game 7 at home against the Celtics in 2022, he vowed to come back the next season, and he fulfilled his promise. Under his leadership, the Heat became the second eighth seed to make the Finals and first Play-In group to do so. 

 

On the way to the 2023 championship series, Butler and Co. took out the top squads in the East, Milwaukee and Boston.  The Bucks were no match as he laid waste to their defenses.  The latter lost Game 7 at TD Garden, a night Butler had 28 points, seven rebounds, six dimes, and three steals, and also held The Larry Bird Trophy, in the home of the Green.

 

While hobbled, facing the Denver Nuggets in round four, JB averaged 41.1 minutes a night and was Miami’s leading playmaker (6.4) and second in scoring (21.6).

 

2.LeBron James:

 

He is the most talented player to put on the uniform.  James’ four years in Miami was him at his apex, winning back-to-back MVPs and consecutive championships as option one.

 

Defensively, he was the most versatile player in the league during these years.  In the 2011 ECF, he had moments neutralizing the reigning MVP Derrick Rose and also guarded Tony Parker at times two years later in the Finals.  He made an All-Defensive team in each season.

 

Offensively, he was an unstoppable bulldozer with better finishing numbers than most centers, while he took shots from everywhere.  He made jumping over John Lucas and slamming a one-handed lob look effortless.  Bodies would bounce off him, and he wasn’t phased, like when he pulverized Jason Terry, converting an alley-oop pass in Boston.  And he was a killer. At the old Oracle Arena, he isolated Andre Iguodala, stepped to his left and buried a well-contested left-wing triple for the win. Wade didn’t play that night.

 

In Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, before Ray Allen’s equalizer, the Heat was down 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter. To hold off a hostile championship celebration, King James scored 16 points on seven of 11 shots and set up Chalmers and a shoeless Mike Miller for 3-point shots.  

 

In Game 7,  James scored 37 points and made the go-ahead basket in front of Kawhi Leonard, which put the game out of reach.

 

He missed 18 games in four years with the Heat, none coming in the Playoffs.

1.Dwyane Wade:

 

Wade is one of the greatest slashers the NBA ever saw.  In his Playoff debut, he broke down Baron Davis with his dribble up top and dashed into the lane for a game-winning floater.  By sophomore year, he was a star worthy of Second Team All-NBA, leading the Heat with O’Neal to Game 7 of the East Finals but losing to the Detroit Pistons.  He missed the previous match after warmups didn’t go smoothly, and the Heat lost by 25 points that night. 

 

Next season, Wade took over the Finals, overcoming a two-game deficit and winning the next four over the Mavericks.  In that series, he logged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.  He earned Finals MVP.

 

In the post-Shaq, pre-Big Three era, Wade distinguished himself as a certified top-three player, even finishing third behind James and Kobe Bryant for MVP in 2009, despite logging a higher point, assist and minute average.

 

That season, in March (9), Wade had 48 points in a double-overtime win at home, outplaying Chicago’s Ben Gordon and a young Rose.  At the end of the second overtime, Flash stole the ball from John Salmons attempting a behind-the-back dribble in front of Haslem. Then he raced to the opposite key and took off for a one-legged triple to call the game. 

 

In year two of the Big Three experiment, Wade willingly deferred touches to James to ensure the Heat had the highest chance of winning. He instantly became the most overqualified side piece in the NBA, but it helped earn back-to-back championships and push his ring count to three.

 

When James left, Wade put forth two strong seasons, getting to one Game 7 of the East semis with a battered unit versus the Toronto Raptors.  In round one of that Playoffs, Wade saved his team from a road elimination, dropping 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter in Charlotte in Game 6.

 

When he returned from tours in Chicago and Cleveland, he helped Miami get back to the Playoffs in 2018 after missing it in its first season without him.  In 2019, his farewell tour was the highlight of a frustrating year as the team didn’t have enough to carry him into the sunset.  He went out the only way he could, emptying the clip and recording a triple-double with his closest pals at Barclays Center in attendance.  

 

Wade holds the team record in points, assists, steals, starts, minutes, made free throws and converted field goals. He has a 12,097-point lead over #2 in scoring, Mourning, per Stathead.  

 

At the start of his Hall of Fame speech, Wade was interrupted by supporters chanting, “Let’s go Heat.”  There’s no finer way to sum up how Wade’s career went, with the honors he achieved and the hearts he touched.  

Damian Lillard’s reputation as one of the top leaders in the NBA should be unassailable. He’s also one of the three players in Trail Blazers history with the World’s Most Famous Deadhead and the Glide, and a deserving member of the league’s Top 75 (76 really) ballers list.  Yet these days, he’s besmirched by outside fans and media for wanting to play for the Eastern Conference champs while his commitment to Portland hasn’t ended. Naturally, most of the lot is siding with management over labor. 

 

Some whine, “He has four years on his contract, plus he said he wouldn’t run from the grind…” But teams try to get off bad deals when players aren’t living up to them.  When those moves are made, writers, broadcasters and fans applaud the machinations of the exec(s) who got it done.

 

And the lickspittles also cry that Portland shouldn’t send him to Miami, his chosen destination, because it can’t offer the most lucrative deal for him. They confuse Lillard with an imbecile and are wrong about Miami’s potential package.

 

Yet I care not for their observations because the Blazers drafted his successor instead of honoring the agreement with Dame to build a contender around him. Scoot Henderson will likely turn into a fine player, but he’s an understudy for the foreseeable future. Unless his impact is like Magic Johnson’s or that of Larry Legend as a novice, his addition doesn’t move the pendulum in the short term for conference supremacy. Had the team traded the pick before Draft night, everyone would have known they were for real about competing. 

 

Lillard did say he envisioned himself having a chance to win a championship in Portland before last season, but he’s changed his mind. His agent Aaron Goodwin is throwing his weight around by contacting suitors not named the Heat and telling them to buzz off; this makes Dame a “villain” because he is fixing the market for himself, which will probably work.

 

In a rose-covered world, Lillard stays in Portland and delivers its first title since Walton led the ‘77 outfit over the 76ers for the jewels.  But in the real one, he wants out because what he desires today is not what he craved in the past.  And likely because the Trail Blazers’ average 42 wins a year in the regular season since drafting Lillard, and he has appeared in 87% of those games.  

 

Maybe ring culture got to him, or like many people, he doesn’t want to spend all his years in the same sandbox. Perhaps both, but it doesn’t matter.  People at the peak of their professions should be skilled enough to decide where they want to work.  Lillard’s been at the top for a long time.  

 

I’d prefer he doesn’t waste away as a stud mentor to a group with a first-round ceiling. Last season was his 11th in the NBA, and Dame logged the highest scoring average of his career (32.2).  He turns 33 on July 15.

 

When the front office’s anxiety and desperation levels rise because no deal is percolating, props to Goodwin, aside from the one left simmering on the stove top with Miami, the figurative stare down with Lillard will end. Trying to hightail his wagon out of town with years still committed while leaving the only organization he’s played for in this fashion still isn’t enough to taint his fame.  

 

It’s important to remember the league is a business first, and labor will not hesitate to use that card against management.

Peacetime in the NBA lasted three days following the Nuggets’ parade through Denver. Phoenix swiped Bradley Beal from suitors, sending back expired goods in Chris Paul that might be surrendered, plus acquired a pointless asset in Landry Shamet with some sloppy seconds.

Real deal Beal and the Wizards finally divorced after 11 years with zero trips out of round two. Yet, he was third all-time in minutes played in the regular season for the squad (24,091).

Through 740 outings, Beal logged 16,448 points in the Playoffs and regular season as a Wizard. In the last two years, he was limited to 90 games because of injuries and a suspected soft tank. When available, he is a fierce three-level firecracker who draws extra attention and is underappreciated as a secondary passer.

Before last season, the top brass did him no favors, exchanging Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Ish Smith for Will past “The Thrill” Barton and Monte Morris to the mountain cowtown. Yes, that squad that became the second team from the ABA consolidation in 1976 to win a title after the Spurs.

This Just In: The Kroenke family is weighing sending exiled Wiz general manager Tommy Sheppard a cubic zirconia-laced circlet for arming the champs with the Pope and Smith’s valuable counsel from the sidelines.

Beal is a gunslinger, but, surprisingly, Phoenix emerged in the hunt for him post signing Frank Vogel as head coach when it needed a point guard or reserve munitions. For his career, the former Gator has recorded a scant 10% of his time as lead orchestrator, per Basketball Reference’s position estimate.

The new acquisition doesn’t fit Frankie’s mold on defense either because Beal isn’t recognized as a disruptor, but he has a 6 ‘8 wingspan to work with. The one thing I’m sure to rule out is the Suns throwing Russell Westbrook a life preserver.

But wait. Do the Suns have enough to offset the coin flip curse of 1969?

Dissatisfied Deandre Ayton might develop an allergy to the rock playing and screening next to three high-usage scorers. He’s needed a fresh start for multiple seasons, but the Suns kept him hostage. There’s no word if the top brass will negotiate a ransom with an interested outfit for help in other areas. Although, I fear dealing DominAyton will have less than stellar returns because of two recent Playoff letdowns.

The Suns have three ignitable weapons. Guarding this group on a sideline inbound will be a nightmare dealing with a trifecta that’s effective working off a script.

Before Game 5 of round two, the Nuggets and Suns were tied with two wins. For the pivotal next game at Ball Arena, the Suns used 12 players, and one of its starters logged eight minutes. At the very least, having Beal (healthy) lets Phoenix roll with a shorter rotation. Putting in Beal for Josh Okogie might be an approximation, too, of when Durant replaced Harrison Barnes in the Warriors lineup seven years ago. There’s a deadlier marksman now behind the sights.

Devin Booker, KD and Beal can each attract a double team, but how does a rival send one if the Suns are moving the ball and keeping Ayton and the fifth starter involved? Perhaps when one sits, but most of the game will go by with at least two in.

On the other side, Beal will work with proven schemes and capable defenders. For this to work, he must stay in front of the ball outside, get over screens quickly and never leave his feet. If he does get beat, Durant and Ayton will likely be roaming behind him in the backline. Significant strides on this end are achievable. The new guy will see firsthand at training camp with Booker when they match up.

Beal made the rich even wealthier, and he gets to age gracefully next to some of the best. The Nuggets won’t sweat this, but the rest of the West will.