This Nuggets team already has a pretty good claim as the best team in franchise history, but now four wins separate this group from eternal glory in Denver.

It all starts with Game 1 on Thursday night at Ball Arena. The Nuggets have yet to lose in the Mile High City in the postseason, but face a Heat team that won three road games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are three keys for Denver in the opening game of the NBA Finals:

1. Run, run, run

When Thursday night rolls around, it will have been 10 days since the Nuggets last played a game.

Facing a team that played a Game 7 on the road three days earlier and had to take a flight immediately after, Denver needs to get out in transition as much as possible.

Michael Malone should be instructing his team to make this a track meet, not a basketball game.

Factoring in the fact that the Heat like to play at a slower place than the Nuggets already, playing at as fast a pace as possible will only make Miami more uncomfortable to begin the series.

The Heat have made a living of making their opponents uncomfortable all postseason long, so it’s on the Nuggets to give them a taste of their own medicine.

2. Get Jamal Murray going early

You could make the case that it’s important for everyone on the Nuggets to get out to a hot start after the long break, but given how much Denver is going to need the best version of Jamal Murray in this series, the Nuggets should try to get him as many good looks as possible in the first quarter.

We’ve all seen what Murray can do when he’s in a rhythm — Game 3 against the Lakers is the best example — and getting a big Game 1 performance out of the star guard will go a long way for the Nuggets in this series.

3. Attack Bam Adebayo early and often

There isn’t really a center in the league that has a good track record against Nikola Jokic, and Miami’s Bam Adebayo is no different.

The Heat are going to need Adebayo to play like an all-star, something he’s shown flashes of throughout his career, if they want to pull off the upset.

Whether it’s Jokic himself or with smaller guards like Murray, the Nuggets should try to attack Adebayo on defense and see if they can’t shake the confidence of the young big man.

If Denver is able to get Adebayo in foul trouble or cause him to lose confidence, Miami doesn’t really have a backup option.