Heat's Erik Spoelstra Anticipates 'Gnarly' NBA Finals Game 5 vs. Nuggets on Road

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra isn't concerned about going back to Denver for Game 5 of the NBA Finals with his team trailing 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets.

Speaking to reporters after a 108-95 loss in Game 4, Spoelstra said he's anticipating it will be a "gnarly game" on Monday with his team needing to win on the road to keep their season alive.

"By the time we are getting on that plane," he added, "all we're thinking about is get this thing back to Miami."

If any team is going to be capable of not letting a 3-1 series deficit bother them, it's this Heat squad. They barely made it into the playoffs after losing their first play-in tournament game to the Atlanta Hawks and trailing the Chicago Bulls by five points with less than six minutes remaining before closing on a 22-6 run to earn the No. 8 seed.

After winning their first two series fairly comfortably, the Heat were on the verge of becoming the first NBA team to blow a 3-0 postseason series lead. Their Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics, in particular, could have destroyed most teams because they were 0.2 seconds away from clinching the series on their home court.

Instead, going back to Boston for the decisive Game 7, the Heat asserted their will right out of the gate en route to a 103-84 win to reach the NBA Finals.

The Heat's 111-108 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 marked the first time a road team won in Denver this postseason. They will have to do it at least one more time to get the NBA Finals back to Miami for Game 6.

Miami and Denver will play Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.