DENVER — It was a popular theme before the NBA Finals started — about how the Nuggets, an up-tempo team with fresh legs that could exploit the mile-high altitude in Denver, would have a good chance to wear down the Miami Heat.
The combined fourth-quarter score of the first two games: Heat 66, Nuggets 45.
In Game 2 on Sunday, the Heat outscored the Nuggets by 11 to turn an eight-point deficit into a 111-108 win and knot the series at 1.
And any thought that the Heat couldn't handle all the supposed disadvantages they faced coming into Denver after a seven-game conference final against the Celtics — out the window, just like Denver's home-court advantage in this series.