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Nikola Jokic won't buy into the Nuggets as favorites over the Heat. That makes them even more dangerous

It’s unclear if and how much the Miami Heat’s previous opponents this postseason underestimated them, but it’s fair to assume those higher-seeded teams might not have given their best efforts out of the gate.

It took for the No. 2 Boston Celtics to get down 0-3 before they even showed up for the Eastern Conference finals. And the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks lost to Miami in the first round.

The Heat have absolutely thrived as underdogs, and they remain in that position against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. But while oddsmakers give the Heat long-shot odds to win, Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is trying his best not to let them have that edge.

“I think we are not the favorites,” Jokic said Wednesday in response to a question about Vegas favoring the Nuggets. “I think in the finals, there is no favorites. This is going to be the hardest game of our life, and we know that.”

What Jokic said makes sense. This is the NBA Finals. Denver and Miami are each four wins away from being crowned world champions. Any team playing in this round is worthy and capable of winning and will do everything in its power to make it happen.

What he said is also just wrong.

The Nuggets are favorites because that’s the job of oddsmakers, to set an expectation for which team should win. And they determined Denver is a considerable favorite. Much of the public agrees — 69% of the series handle at FanDuel has been bet on Denver. That opinion is informed by a regular season where the Nuggets were nine games better than Miami and a postseason where they’ve gone 12-3.

I think Jokic knows this. He also knows Denver can’t afford to take that mentality into the series.

In order to beat a hungry and determined Miami squad, the Nuggets have to match that hunger and determination — even as the objectively more talented team. Simply assuming they’re better and expecting that to carry them to a title is an easy way for the Nuggets to fall short of their goal. So, Jokic won’t concede that his team is the favorite, even if it’s true.

If that mentality permeates the rest of the team, it’s a good sign for the Nuggets. That likely means they won’t suffer a letdown like Miami’s previous opponents.

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