On Thursday night, NBA fans will get to enjoy Game 1 of the NBA Finals, witnessing the Denver Nuggets square off against the surprisingly strong Miami Heat.
During the entire postseason, the Heat have shown that they have skill, heart, and serious drive.
Because of that, they have been propelled from a play-in team to Eastern Conference champions.
But most analysts predict the Nuggets will win the Finals – and Shannon Sharpe agrees with them.
“The Nuggets have been the No. 1 seed in the West the entire season. The Heat had to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs. The money is laid where it should be,” Sharpe said on Wednesday’s Undisputed.
The Nuggets are 2nd-biggest favorite to win NBA Finals in the last 20 Years, @ShannonSharpe reacts:
“The Nuggets have been the No. 1 seed in the West the entire season. The Heat had to scratch & claw their way into the playoffs. The money is laid where it should be.” pic.twitter.com/eK4weGnSVn
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 31, 2023
Sharpe is right that the Nuggets are the strong favorites to win Game 1 and the entire series, according to most betting sites.
The reasoning is the same as listed by Sharpe: the Nuggets have been the most dominant team in the Western Conference all year while the Heat have struggled to get where they are.
Although they have had to “scratch and claw”, the Heat have still taken down some of the best teams in their conference.
Not only did they conquer the top team in the East but they just beat the second-best team too.
That should count for something and shows that this series could be closer than people expect.
Still, there is a lot working against the Heat, especially for the opening games against the Nuggets.
Denver is a great home team and they will be in the Mile High City for the first two games.
Additionally, the Heat have been pushing themselves to the brink for the last few weeks to get where they are.
They are surely exhausted at this point.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have had more than a week of rest after putting the Los Angeles Lakers away.
A lot is stacked against the Heat and Sharpe has a fair point.
But a lot has been stacked against Miami before and they have come out on top.
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