An old sports adage goes something like “hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard...“
That can apply to almost any sport but this clearly finds relevance in today’s NBA Finals.
HEAT. Miami came here the massive underdogs, having gone through the fire in all their previous matchups. That they almost blew a 3-0 lead against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals but recovered well and never lost composure is a true testament to their hard-nosed, gritty brand of play.
A team with only one true star with a supporting cast of veterans and undrafted players is hard work personified.
NUGGETS. On the other side, you have a team led by a two-time league MVP—a unicorn whose talent is so palpable that the opposing team knows what he does night in and night out but is still incapable of stopping him.
The Robin of this team is a budding superstar in his own right—arguably one of the top three point guards in the league. He is Klay Thompson with some Ja Morant in him. They tried to stop him, but could only really contain him a bit. Jamal Murray will not be denied.
Aaron Gordon is the NBA’s uncrowned dunk champion, twice. He mans the power forward position but can also get hot from the three point range. Michael Porter Jr. and KCP are also capable of giving you 20 points on any given night. That’s talent personified.
Yesterday, the Nuggets took a commanding 3-1 advantage behind a balanced attack with four starters in double figures.
As long as they continue to hustle, fight for rebounds and loose balls and not rely on sheer talent alone, the 47-year-old wait for Denver might be over. Miami will be very dangerous with their backs against the wall. Remember that Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson have been to the NBA Finals before.
More importantly, the most feared person in this organization right now is Coach Erik Spoelstra.
The Denver Nuggets will have to unleash and adhere faithfully to that deadly hybrid of talent and hard work in order to emerge victorious.
VERBATIM. “You have to expect there to be elite-level talent. At our best version, we find ways to overcome that, make it tough on them...” - Erik Spoelstra on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray via Fox Sports.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend, Janet Gorne, who recently celebrated her birthday. Cheers!