The Denver Nuggets lived up to their status as favorites and didn’t have much trouble defeating the Miami Heat in Game 1.
Some people wondered if resting for so long would rust the legs and make them unstable, but by no means was that the case.
If anything, coach Mike Malone had more than his men prepared to take right out of the gate, and that was the very message he sent after finding out they were going to face the Heat. .
When asked about his preparation before the game, Malone admitted that he reminded his players that the Heat had taken Game 1 of every single series so far, so they could not risk letting them take control of the series. can, as seen below.
“I reminded the group that Miami went to Milwaukee and won Game 1. They went to the Garden in New York City and won Game 1. They won Game 1 in Boston. We didn’t want them to take control of the series here. “
Mike Malone on the importance of the Nuggets… pic.twitter.com/AV0Y7NY7Kv
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 2, 2023
Notably, the Heat could still “afford” to lose Game 2 as long as they took care of business when the series returned to South Beach, as they still had to get home-court advantage. Will need to steal a street.
Home-court advantage can be massive in any series, especially at this stage in the season and at the heights of Colorado.
Denver’s thin air is no joke, especially late in games and in the second half when visiting players are gasping for air and visibly exhausted.
The Nuggets can’t let that natural ally go to waste, let alone relinquish control of the series against a team that has made the most of every chance it gets to win this post-season.
Now, they will have to follow the same method in Game 2.
next:
Fans React To Nuggets Game 1 Win Over Heat