But if I were to pick a team, I would side with the Denver Nuggets. They are the #1 in the west and proved it by reaching the finals. And kudos to Denver's management for bringing very good role players into the team to help Jokic who always gives his best without much complaining while the other superstars are always pressuring their teams to provide another superstars and capable role players. So the team management is the big difference IMO. Miami is always contending in the east despite being short-handed with players only because their coach is just super good and flexible and Jimmy Butler's extraordinary leadership.
Obviously, everyone is choosing the Denver Nuggets because they are the better team. Right from the beginning, they have been the favorites to win in each round, in contrast to the Miami Heat who have consistently been seen as the underdogs, more like the number 1 seed versus the number 8 seed. It's not a difficult decision to make, and I believe only a few will choose the Miami Heat to win. That's why I like their chances of being competitive and potentially extending the series to a maximum of seven games.
Small ball line up is quiet ineffective now since many teams already see the weakness on this kind of line up and Heat will really struggle on roster match up. Even Lakers cannot do anything and been wiped out by Nuggets, but still let see how Heat could find ways to defeat this more hype team in West. Their experiences might help them so maybe they should take advantage with that since this is the first time Nuggets reach this far so maybe there maybe a pressure to them so best to add up some pressure defensively and in offense.