Ira Winderman: Heat support system springing leaks at worst time

DENVER — Life certainly was easier with Currency Caleb, Money Max and Golden Gabe.

That was two weeks ago, when the Miami Heat’s complementary players practically stood as can’t-miss propositions in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

And then these NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets began and all that had glittered no longer is turning into gold.

Instead, a tarnished 1-3 record in the best-of-seven series that could end as soon as Monday’s 8:30 p.m. Game 5 at Ball Arena.

So what happened?

This happened:

In the seven games against the Celtics, Caleb Martin shot .602 from the field and .489 on 3-pointers. Through these first four games of these NBA Finals, the numbers stand, respectively, at .355 and .455. Martin went from a contender for the Eastern Conference MVP, which  went to Jimmy Butler, to now seventh in scoring for the Heat against the Nuggets.

In his six appearances against Boston, Vincent shot .485 from the field and .516 on 3-pointers. Against Denver these past two weeks, the numbers are at .429 and .385.

And in those East finals, Strus was a serviceable .342 on 3-pointers. Now, a seemingly unfathomable .192 in the NBA Finals.

“Just got to do a better job,” Strus said.

Understand, it’s not as if the Heat went into that series against the Celtics or even the previous series against the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks expecting Martin, Vincent and Strus to lead them.

But it was those contributions, nearly as much as anything from Butler and Bam Adebayo, that fueled this rise from No. 8 seed.

Yes, nagging injuries or illness have been at play. But who isn’t nursing something in June from what started in October?

Moreso, it’s as if the Nuggets took a page from the Heat’s Game 2 playbook, the lone game the Heat have won in the series. That was the night that the Heat lived with Nikola Jokic scoring 41, in a game he also closed with a series-low four assists.

Now the double teams are either not as quick or, largely, not at all against Butler.

Now, as it has been since the start of the series, the Nuggets are willing to cede as many midrange jumpers as Adebayo is willing to take.

Essentially, the Heat’s complementary players aren’t being allowed to complement, save for the reemergence of Duncan Robinson.

And therefore, not nearly as many compliments for Martin, Vincent, Strus.

Against the Bucks, Knicks and Celtics, it was easier to hit the open man because the added defensive attention on Butler and Adebayo created open men. Against the Celtics, the split between the Heat’s top two scoring averages in the series and third on that list was 2.5 points. In this series it is a full nine points, from Butler’s 21.8 to Vincent’s 12.8.

Of the many deserved compliments Martin, Vincent and Strus have received over these two postseason months, go-to guy is not one of them. It’s not who they are.

But they know there has to be more than the first four games of this series.

“Guys want to continue to better themselves,” Martin said, “and they’re their toughest critics.”

For his part, Butler plans to keep fueling belief.

“Pump confidence in those guys, and we are going to always live with the result,” he said.

Similarly, Adebayo plans to continue to move in the direction of those who have nearly moved this season across the goal line.

“They got a lot of responsibility, and I’m proud of them taking it to the chin,” he said of the perseverance. “They are going to keep fighting and they are going to keep trying to figure it out, and I believe in them.”

That’s not to say that the trio or the Heat’s other complementary pieces are creations of Butler and Adebayo, just that it has been the court vision and court IQ of Butler and Adebayo that has — or had — allowed those players to turn this postseason into something special.

The inclination might be for Butler and Adebayo to try to do it all Monday night to keep the Heat afloat.

But for the Heat to get the three wins still needed for the franchise’s fourth NBA title, it will require something more from the team’s Little Three,

“The only way you can knock down shots is take them and take them confidently,” Martin said.

“This isn’t the time to doubt shots or doubt chances or opportunities.”