Inside The Heat

Udonis Haslem Likens Denver Nuggets Star To Big 3 Era Chris Bosh

Shandel Richardson|
May 26, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) celebrates with power forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Miami defeated Indiana 114-96. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
May 26, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) celebrates with power forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers in game three of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Miami defeated Indiana 114-96. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

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Miami HeatDenver Nuggets

The Miami Heat were successful during the early 2010s because of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

They won two titles in four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2010-14 behind the Hall of Famers but Chris Bosh was often considered the most important piece. Heat legend Udonis Haslem, who played on those teams, sees a similar situation on the Denver Nuggets.

Aaron Gordon is the perfect third-wheel to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

"To me, obviously Joker is their best player, Jamal Murray is their second-best player, but Aaron Gordon is to me their most important player," Haslem said on NBA TV.

The Nuggets lead 2-1 against the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals mostly because of Gordon. He is averaging 18 points, nine rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Haslem knows first-hand about Gordon's play after he was vital in the Nuggets defeating the Heat in 2023 Finals.

"He is the player in the Finals that we just didn't have an answer for," Haslem said. "They put him down on that baseline when he works that dunker spot. If you step up on Joker, he lobs that ball to him. He is shooting the ball at a 55=percent clip from the three-point range ... and on the defensive end, he's going to take the challenge against your best offensive player."

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here