The Denver Nuggets have reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
And while that could be a huge win for most small-market teams, Mike Malone’s side didn’t leave it all on the court just to make it this far.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets only have the NBA championship in sight, and anything short of a ring would be a huge disappointment within the organization.
“We can’t count out Miami, but Denver right now… They’re gonna be going into that series believing they should win and if they don’t, it will be a disappointment”@ShamsCharania on the #Nuggets making their 1st NBA Finals appearance 👏#BringItIn | #RunItBack pic.twitter.com/7iRdOrMVRo
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) May 23, 2023
Of course, the Miami Heat — which will most likely represent the Eastern Conference after going up 3-0 on the Boston Celtics — have also been stellar throughout the playoffs and shouldn’t be overlooked, but the feeling around the league is that the Larry O’Brien trophy is Denver’s to lose.
The Miami Heat have a shot at being considered one of the greatest No. 8 seeds in the history of the league.
Then again, the Nuggets were the best and most consistent driving force in the Western Conference throughout the whole season, and they didn’t make it this far to settle with a Finals berth.
Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler have been 1A and 1B in this year’s playoffs, and Erik Spoelstra and Mike Malone are two savvy coaches that have proven to be more than capable of making major in-game tweaks and adjustments.
The league may not get its dream NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, but this could be an epic and more than memorable series for true basketball fans all over the world.
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