This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.
It didn’t surprise me when I saw the number: The Denver Nuggets are a whopping -400 to win the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat.
But that’s how the Heat seem to like it. They love playing scrappy underdog. They were underdogs heading into Game 7 on Monday against the Boston Celtics, and — just like Jimmy Butler predicted a year ago to the day after an Eastern Conference Finals loss — they got it done.
Now, if I’m making a prediction, I do think Nikola Jokic, the best player in the world, gets it done. Maybe in six or seven.
But even then, I and the rest of the world are underrating this Heat team.
This is a squad that has Jimmy Butler calmly doing it all. One with names like Caleb Martin — he should have been ECF MVP, IMO — Gabe Vincent and Max Strus hardly shrinking under the spotlight of postseason hoops. Duncan Robinson finding his shot again is huge.
Let’s add on the fact that Eric Spoelstra is one of the NBA’s smartest coaches, that the Heat won in spite of struggles from Bam Adebayo — no one can really stop Jokic, but maybe Bam can keep him relatively in check? — and … there’s a chance Tyler Herro comes back to add in some shooting:
Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (hand fracture) is ramping up workouts and is expected to make his return at some point during NBA Finals with Game 3 being the likely target, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 30, 2023
So, yeah. Stop underrating the Heat. This isn’t some upstart No. 8 seed that’s about to get swept in the Finals. They’ve more than earned the right to be here and should be considered a major threat.
(Whispers: That said, Nuggets in six.)
Quick Hits: Narc Cuban? … Succession finale … and more.
(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
— Mark Cuban asked fans about pirated Heat-Celtics streams and fans made so many jokes about “Narc Cuban.”
— The Succession season finale brought us a certain revelation about a character’s last name (it’s sports related!), along with a new meme … and oh yes, many devastating moments and Easter eggs.
— Speaking of memes, sad Bill Simmons became one after the Celtics’ Game 7 loss.
