Michael Malone Says Playing Heat in Finals Will Be Nuggets' 'Biggest Challenge'

The Denver Nuggets are gearing up to face the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals, and head coach Michael Malone knows Erik Spoelstra's squad should not be taken lightly as a No. 8 seed.

"You get to the NBA Finals, it's not about seeding anymore," Malone said Tuesday, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "And for those who are thinking that this is going to be an easy series, I don't even know what to say to you people.

"This is going to be the biggest challenge of our lives. This is the NBA Finals. You're trying to win the first NBA championship in franchise history, and it's going to be the hardest thing that we've ever done -- which is the way it should be."

The Nuggets reached the NBA Finals fairly easily, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, the Phoenix Suns in six games and the Los Angeles Lakers in four games in the Western Conference Finals to clinch a berth in the championship round.

Led by Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets are viewed as the favorite to take home the title this year. However, Jimmy Butler and the Heat continue to shatter expectations as the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed.

After falling to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament, the Heat clinched the No. 8 seed by defeating the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the tournament.

Miami then went on to upset the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games, the New York Knicks in six games and the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals to earn a spot in the championship round.

The Heat are just the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals, and they are looking to win their first title since the 2012-13 campaign, when LeBron James helped the franchise defeat the San Antonio Spurs for its third championship since 2005-06.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver.