Heading into Thursday’s NBA Finals Game 1, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was adamant that his Western Conference top-seeded Nuggets shouldn’t be favored over the No.8 seed Eastern Conference champ Miami Heat.
The Nuggets are definitely the favorite, and they showed why in a wire-to-wire 104-93 win in the series opener.
Joker Says Miami Heat Should Be Favored
During Wednesday’s media session, the two-time NBA MVP had a lot to say, and he isn’t buying the favorite narrative at all.
“Who said that we are favorites? The media? Las Vegas? Las Vegas told us that we were underdogs before. That doesn’t seem correct. I think, I mean, we are not the favorites. I think in the Finals, there are no favorites. This is going to be the hardest games of our lives, and we know that. And we are preparing for that. I think there’s no favorites, and I think we are not the favorites in this series. I think they the Heat aren’t either. It’s just the Finals. There’s no favorites in the Finals in my opinion.”
FanDuel Sportsbook had the Nuggets as a favorite to win it all at -800, representing the Western Conference after an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe the Joker isn’t believing the hype, but the betting sites are.
Joker’s Play In Game 1 Proved Why The Nuggets Are The Favorites
What other superstar can attempt just five shots through the first three quarters, and still end up with a 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists triple-double? Only Jokic, and that’s why the Nuggets will likely win its first Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history.
In the first half alone, Jokic controlled the game with 10 points and 10 assists in guiding Denver to a 59-42 lead at the half, with the team never relinquishing the lead.
The Miami Heat are a feisty and tough basketball team, but they’ve overachieved mightily to reach the Finals.
And while no one will ever discount their road to get here, Denver is the most complete team in the NBA — a team that can beat you in numerous ways.
Nuggets Love Playing The Underdog Role
This entire playoff run the Nuggets have used a belief that no one believes in them for motivation at every challenge. They were considered underdogs against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers and their odds to win a ring were 11-1. Along the way to shutting up the non believers, Joker conquered KD’s Suns and then swept LeBron’s Lakers.
Denver Nuggets Playing fake UnderDog Role
The way Denver handled those two Western Conference foes automatically disqualifies them as underdogs in the eyes of the NBA world. They better find a new motivation because it’s clear that Joker has the better team in this series.
During the season and throughout most of the playoffs, Nuggets coach Michael Malone grew tired of being overlooked by the talking heads and let it be known in the Lakers series sweep.
In this series he won’t be able to do that, as his team is expected to finish the job with a title, and based on how Game 1 looked, it’s bound to happen in the next couple of games.
