Ticked: Sports Day Events Summary Clip, May 31 (Sports5)
Denver for the first time in history, or Miami for the fourth time. The last two remaining teams in the race for the NBA championship will open the Finals series tomorrow night between Thursday and Friday, and press conferences were held Wednesday night ahead of Game 1.
"You have to give credit and recognize Denver's culture, which is very strong. Mike Malone and his staff have done a tremendous job building a system that fits perfectly with their two biggest stars," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra complimented the opponent. "They're doing all the right things. No weaknesses or cracks were found. That's how we feel about us, too."
Spoelstra did not attach much importance to the fact that the city of Denver lies 1 mile above sea level, which can cause breathing difficulties for those who are not used to the conditions: "Our players are in great shape and ready to compete. If Denver wants to play on top of Everest, we'll do it. They'll also have to come to Miami, you can turn off the air conditioning and they'll have to play at 6% humidity."
The journalists reminded Jimmy Butler of the incident that occurred between the teams at the beginning of last season: "I don't think it's going to make a difference. People don't understand many things about the situation back then, I leave that in the past. I didn't talk to Jokic, the conflict had nothing to do with me. Whoever I've spoken to knows it's him." The star also recalled Dwyane Wade's influence on joining Miami: "A lot of former teammates shaped me into the leader you see today. But most of all, I have to give credit to D-Wade, who talked to me about how my type of leadership would fit the culture here. And it's really a match from heaven, I love being here."
Kyle Lowry spoke of the "Heat culture," which has been widely credited in the league for many years: "We don't care what others think. We do our part, we work hard no matter the time, place or situation. We prepare well for any situation. The culture is based on belief in what we do and the work we do every night."
Bam Adebayo, another Miami leader, recounted how his mother helped him develop into one: "She's been a leader in my life since I was born. To see her overcome every hardship as a single mother, we lived in a trailer, for $12,<> a year. I learned from her to lead by example."
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On Denver's side, Nikola Jokic made it clear there were no favorites in the series, even though the Nuggets were labeled as such: "Who said we were favorites? Communication? In the past, they said we were underdogs. I don't think we're favourites, there's no such thing in the final. These will be the hardest games of our lives, we know that and we're ready for it."
Michael Porter Jr. was asked to define Jokic as a leader: "He's definitely the kind of leader who sets an example. In a word - consistency. His output is incredible, but even off the court he is equally amazing in his consistency. He's constantly working on his game, very consistent in his routine."
Jamal Murray added: "The whole city is behind us and it's very significant. The two teams with the strongest chemistry came up, our offense stands out but so does their defense."
Coach Mike Malone was asked about solutions for Miami's zone defense, and replied, "I think we have the best offensive rating ever for a team that made the Finals. The best answer for regional defense is our offense. Bam Adebayo? He won't stand up to the defense forever."
- sport
- NBA
Tags
- Denver Nuggets
- Miami Heat
