Nuggets Coach Shares Harsh Reality Before Game 2 vs. Heat

While the Denver Nuggets feel good about their victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and may finally be getting some of the national respect they deserve, head coach Michael Malone told them to ignore all of that. Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Malone revealed the harsh message he shared with his team, that they haven't done anything yet.

"I don't think we played well in Game 1," Malone said. "I watched that tape, and [the Heat] were 5/16 on wide-open threes. As I told our players this morning, the fact that they got 16 wide-open threes is problematic. And if you think that Max Strus is going to go 0/9 again, or Duncan Robinson is going to go 1/5 again, you're wrong."

“…We haven’t done a damn thing.”

Mike Malone told his players not to listen to people saying the series is ‘over’ pic.twitter.com/9DvVvGTJ5E
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 3, 2023

Malone added, "I told our players today, don't read the paper. Don't listen to the folks on the radio and TV saying that this series is over and that we've done something, because we haven't done a damn thing."

It's a harsh but important message from Malone, who wants his players to stay hungry. While complacency in the NBA Finals feels unlikely, there a lot of people saying Miami has no chance against Denver, which is something Malone wants his players to ignore. There is a lot of respect for Miami on Denver's side, which was evident by Malone's comments.

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