Daily Dime: Finals Game 4, new All-Star Game formats and more around-the-league notes

Ten drops of knowledge that lead off, naturally, with how Denver dominated Miami to move just one win away from becoming the second ABA franchise to take an NBA title

1️⃣ The ultimate team W

The first sign of trouble for the Miami Heat in Friday night's Game 4 of the NBA Finals, on this Daily Dime scorecard, actually revealed itself on the day before Game 4.

It was this Thursday quote from Jimmy Butler: “We’re going to get one at home.”

Unlike the usual Butler bravado, which has generated countless stubborn proclamations and guarantees about what the eighth-seeded Heat were about to do next, that line came across as "steal one on the road" talk.

As if Butler, Undisputed Alpha from the home team, knew in advance how hard it would be to deny dangerous, deep Denver a sweep of its two-game trip to Miami.

It proved even harder than those worst fears suggested.