The Finals are officially set and the Denver Nuggets will face off against the Miami Heat on Thursday night for Game 1.
While most betting markets and fans predict that the Nuggets have the advantage in the series, Denver players have not counted the Heat out.
Aaron Gordon recently spoke to the press and, according to ESPN, it sounds like he and his team are viewing the Heat as a very real threat.
“They have no quit…We’re not looking at the seeding or the story around it,” Gordon said.
Aaron Gordon praised the Heat ahead of their Finals matchup 👏 pic.twitter.com/bJuOoOPE8V
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 31, 2023
Gordon is smart to take the Heat seriously and assume that they could find a way to win the championship.
After all, they have overperformed and impressed and done far better than people expected repeatedly during the playoffs.
They started as a play-in team and actually lost their first game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Barely hanging onto their chance in the playoffs, they were able to secure the eighth seed and most people expected them to be pushed out in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks.
But they instead beat the Bucks, and then the New York Knicks, and finally the Boston Celtics.
Technically, they are still the eight seed facing off against the top seed in the West.
But everyone knows they are the strongest eight seed in years.
Gordon and the Nuggets will want to win their first game because the Heat have made a habit of winning the opening game on the road and throwing their opponents off.
The Heat may have had a rough regular season and might be the last seed but they are still the Eastern Conference champions and the Nuggets won’t forget that.
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