MIAMI: The Denver Nuggets act like they’ve been here before.
There is an unmistakable poise to the Nuggets, who are only one win away from their first NBA championship and could hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy as early as Monday (Tuesday in Manila) when the finals return to Denver for Game 5.
Their stars have been starry in their first finals appearance. Their role players have delivered. There hasn’t been a colossal blunder. And even on the cusp of a title, they refuse to change their approach.
That’s the Nuggets. Simple. Effective. Blunt.
“We’re just ready to win a championship,” Murray said. “We have the tools to do it. It’s been on our minds for a while. We’re just locked in. I don’t think you’ve got to overthink it. We’re just dialed in, ready to win.”
History says this series is pretty much over; only one team in NBA history has dug its way out of such a hole in the finals, that being the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors. Heat forward Kevin Love played for that Cleveland team.
It will be a daunting task.
Denver isn’t talking about a parade; some city officials in Dallas were during the 2006 finals when the Mavericks led Miami 2-0, and the Heat won the next four games.
The Nuggets aren’t making any such blunders. No blunders at all, really. Every detail is covered, even remembering to run the 24-second shot clock down to the very end on multiple possessions in the final minutes of Game 4, just to shorten the game and limit whatever chance Miami had at making a comeback.
“We’ve done our job. But we’re not celebrating like we’ve done anything yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. — Associated Press
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