Nuggets' Gordon: 'We have the utmost respect' for Heat

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is preparing for what he expects to be a tough matchup against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

"We have the utmost respect for them," Gordon said of the Heat at a press conference Tuesday. "They fight and they scrap and they have no quit in them. They play through 48 minutes a game, and more if necessary. They play fearless. They play disciplined. They're well-coached and have some guys that have been there before and have some guys that have chips on their shoulder.

"We're not looking at the seeding or the story around it. This is a very talented basketball team, a professional basketball team, and all those guys over there got game, so we respect it."

The Heat are just the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the Finals after the New York Knicks did so in 1999. The Nuggets, meanwhile, entered this year's playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The lowest-seeded team to ever win an NBA championship was the No. 6 seed Houston Rockets in 1995.

Game 1 of the Finals takes place Thursday in Denver.