The Denver Nuggets are massive favorites in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, as this is one of the more lopsided Finals matchups we’ve seen in terms of seeding.
Miami is just the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals, but the team has upset the two title favorites, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, to get here.
One key has been Miami’s ability to win Game 1s, going 3-0, but the team has a trend working against it in this series. In the NBA playoffs, teams that are fresh off of a Game 7 are just 33-53 straight up in Game 1 of the following series.