Denver Nuggets are all set to face off against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. This is theory first ever NBA Final appearance for the Nuggets and their coach Michael Malone believes that this will be their biggest challenge in the postseason. Malone is not considering the current season but he is considering the entire careers of the personnel involved in the big final.
It is the biggest match for Denver as they have not been here in the past. They had fallen short four consecutive times. Their best finish was a conference final appearance in 2020. Therefore it will be a big occasion for the city, players and now Michael Malone as well.
It has been tricky for the Nuggets in the last few seasons but they are finally here in the big final and they want to make it count. Hence, Malone is not taking anything for granted. The Nuggets have been dominant in this postseason and will surely start as the favourites just because of Nikola Jokic’s exceptional form.
“That’s the one thing that motivates every one of us, is that we [Nuggets] have yet to win a championship. That’s why we are excited to be here and that’s why we have a ton of work to do. It’s gonna be the hardest challenge that any of us have faced in their NBA careers,” Malone stated at the NBA Finals media day.
Despite their dominance in the playoffs, they don’t have much experience of playing on the big stage. Only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been an NBA champion in the past while Jeff Green has made it to the finals earlier. This is also Michael Malone’s first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
While the Heat finished as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference but they have made it to the NBA Finals six times in the last 16 years. Erik Spoelstra has made it to the finals five times winning two titles in that stretch. The Heat core reached the finals in 2020 and players like Udonis Haslem, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love have won the title before.
So it will be exciting to see if the dominant team falters on the big occasion or whether the team with more experience thrives. All in all, it promises to be an epic clash between two very competitive teams. People are excited to see how Jokic leads this Nuggets unit who have minimal experience of playing on this stage. While some feel that Jimmy Butler’s experience will see the Heat through this challenge.
