DENVER — The Denver Nuggets finally have an NBA Finals opponent: the Miami Heat.
"It was nice to finally know who we're playing so we could speak about a lot more detail and specifics with the Miami Heat," Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone said after the Heat secured their spot. "For our guys, who have been off as long as we have been, I think we're just excited to play again, and it happens to be in the NBA Finals, which is pretty cool."
Despite them being just the second eight-seed ever to reach the game's biggest stage, Denver isn't looking down on the Heat.
"We got the utmost respect for them," Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said. "They fight and they scrap and they have no quit in them. And have some guys who have been there before and have guys that have chips on their shoulder."
Nuggets forward Jeff Green, who has a history of playing playoff games against Miami (from when he played in Boston during the early 2010s), also knows the respect is there for the Heat franchise.
"They've created a culture. It's their way and it works," he said. "They established something beneficial to them, that's gotten them to places over and over and over, that a lot of teams haven't. Much respect to them."
Miami has had seven undrafted players play for them during this postseason run, the most of any team to ever make the NBA Finals in the modern era (since 1966).
"We're not looking at the seeding or the story around it," Gordon said. "This is a very talented basketball team, a professional basketball team, and all of those guys over there got game, so we respect it."
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