Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has a message for his team ahead of NBA Finals Game 5: “We have to be hungrier.”

The Nuggets have a comfortable 3-1 lead over the Miami Heat and are just one win away from capturing the first championship in franchise history. But they know better than anyone that a 3-1 lead is not safe.

Back in the infamous 2020 NBA Bubble, Denver came back from down 3-1 in back-to-back rounds before ultimately losing in the Western Conference Finals. They were the first team to ever make two such comebacks in one playoff run.

Malone knows that teams have a tendency to take their foot off the gas in closeout games like this. His biggest concern for Monday night is “fighting against human nature.”

The Heat also know that no lead is safe when it comes to the postseason. They were losing with less than four minutes left in an elimination play-in game against the Chicago Bulls before their epic playoff run began. They also blew a 3-0 series lead to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and barely escaped humiliation with a road win in Game 7.

They aren't supposed to be here right now. But that's what makes them dangerous, and Malone understands that.

The 2016 Golden State Warriors are the only team to ever blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals, but that certainly isn't a list any team is interested in joining.

As good as the Nuggets have been all year, Malone is certainly capable of revving up his team to get the job done and keeping them from getting complacent.