Denver’s Aaron Gordon shows respect for the Heat: ‘They fight and they scrap, they have no quit in them’

As Miami finally qualified to the NBA Finals after beating Boston in the seven-game thriller of the Eastern Conference’s last stage, the buzz prior to Game 1 against Denver is rising, as it’s the first time both franchises face off each other in the playoffs.

Looking ahead to the first game of the series, the Nuggets finally had their media availability after over a week of rest ever since they swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 on May 22. Aaron Gordon spoke to the press and dedicated praise for their upcoming opponents.

“We’ve got the utmost respect for them. They fight and they scrap, they have no quit in them. They put it through 48 minutes a game and more if necessary.” said Gordon, who didn’t waste time to give Miami the respect that they’ve earned.

The 27-year-old is well-aware that his rival’s road to the Finals was more complicated than their own, especially considering how the Celtics almost produced a historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit and forced the Florida team all the way to Game 7.

“They play fearless, they play disciplined,” the foward talked about their playing culture. “They’re well coached and have some guys that have been there before and have some guys that have a chip on their shoulder.”

Gordon knows that there’s no place for analyzing the seeding at this point, as the Heat already beat the two top-ranked teams in the eastern division (Milwaukee Bucks No. 1 and Boston No. 2).

“I’m not looking at the seeding or the story around it. This is a very talented basketball team, professional basketball team and all those guys over there got game, so we respect it,” he added.

Most analysts are placing the Nuggets as favorites, even though the underdogs have beaten their conference’s top-seeds

Due to their eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference, Miami is entering the Finals as the underdog team. On the other hand, the top-seeded Nuggets have been favored by most NBA experts.

As this will be the first time that both teams encounter each other in the postseason, fans are excited to see which of the two teams will prevail. An important advantage for Miami is how much more experience they have at this stage, as they are approaching their seventh Finals, opposed to Denver’s first.

Check out what the panel of “Inside the NBA” says about this historic clash:

At the start of the playoffs, ESPN only gave the Heat a 3% chance of making it to the Finals, as the Florida franchise proved everyone wrong, step-by-step. Former NBA player, Richard Jefferson explained how the playing culture around the Heat is winning games.

“When we say Heat Culture, we don’t mean their practice or their work ethic. They just have a level of determination that whether things are good, whether things are bad, whether they’re the two seed or the eight seed, their approach does not change.” Jefferson said.

“They just have the determination that’s very, very tough to break.”

Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Denver and Miami will begin on Thursday, June 1.