Nuggets or Heat? Mike McDaniel, Denver native and Dolphins coach, faces difficult decision

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel finds himself between a red rock and a hard place before the NBA Finals.

McDaniel – who grew up in Denver as a Nuggets fan, but has sparked a friendship with Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra – finds himself rooting for one team more than the other when the Finals begin Thursday.

“I’m fully invested so Denver Nuggets, why don’t we wait 48 years (for a championship),” McDaniel said Wednesday before a Dolphins offseason practice, alluding to how long the franchise has not won an NBA title.

McDaniel, whose career began as a Denver Broncos coaching intern in 2005, lightheartedly shared how his mother bought a Nuggets ticket package with games to watch the Chicago Bulls during the 1993-94 season – when Michael Jordan retired to pursue a career in Major League Baseball.

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May 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel before game three of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center.

Meanwhile as Dolphins coach, McDaniel said he spent time with Spoelstra last summer and often greets Spoelstra after games he has attended during the Heat’s playoff run this season.

“He has to be one of the best professional coaches across all sports,” McDaniel said of Spoelstra, who is leading the Heat to their seventh Finals appearance since 2006. “For me to have access to pick his brain, he throws me a handshake after games, it’s an unbelievable resource.”

Along with attending Heat playoff games, McDaniel has been active attending Florida Panthers games in South Florida, too. The Panthers begin the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Although McDaniel has picked a side in the NBA Finals, a part of him will be rooting for the Heat and the Nuggets.

“It is odd that the two teams you probably follow as close as anything, you’re rooting for one and somebody has to lose,” McDaniel said. “Both teams really represent what’s really cool about sports.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nuggets-heat-mike-mcdaniel-denver-170413791.html?src=rss

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2023-05-31 17:04:13

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