Joker and the Nuggets seek their first NBA title facing the Heat
Nikola Jokic was masterful in the Western Conference Finals. The Denver Nuggets center posted averages of 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in their best-of-seven series. Now the two-time NBA regular season MVP (2021, 2022) is four wins away from earning his first league championship as well as the first for the franchise.
His quest begins tonight when the Nuggets host the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in Game 1 of the National Basketball Association Finals. The Heat arrived there by defeating the Boston Celtics 4-3, ending the series with a 103-84 road victory on Sunday night. The Heat took the first three games before the Celtics stormed back to even the series and attempted to become the only team in NBA history to win a best-of-seven series after being down 0-3.
Jokic and the Nuggets were the No. 1 seed in the West entering the playoffs and knocked off the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 in the opening round and dismissed the No. 4 seed Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the conference semifinals before sweeping the Lakers. The Heat, only the second No. 8 seed to make it to the NBA championship, 24 years after the New York Knicks became the first in 1999, are giant killers.
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They eliminated the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks––who had the league’s best regular season record at 58-24––in five games to start their postseason run. The Heat then sent the No. 5 seed New York Knicks packing 4-2 prior to their compelling series against the No. 2 seed Celtics. But Jokic, nicknamed Joker, and the Nuggets are looking to put an end to the Heat’s unforeseen playoff success.
The team’s share similar traits. Both have superstars in Jokic and the Heat’s stellar small forward Jimmy Butler and complimentary stars. In torching the Lakers, Denver guard Jamal Murray became the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game (he averaged 32.5) on 50 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent on 3-point attempts and 90 percent from the foul line. Murray’s unmatched split was 52.7/40.5/95.
While the Heat’s Bam Adebayo was inconsistent against the Celtics, the 25-year-old forward/center is a two-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive selection. The Nuggets and Heat have also heavily relied on their role players who have emerged as invaluable this postseason. Denver head coach Mike Malone and Miami’s Eric Spolestra, who currently is arguably the best in his profession and one of the most accomplished NBA head coaches ever, have shaped cohesive, symbiotic rosters.
“If you’re going to win at a high level, you can’t have distractions,” said Malone via the Associated Press ahead of the Finals. “You have to have guys that get along—on the court, off the court—and come together and share in a common goal.”
The prediction here is the Nuggets will achieve their goal with a 4-2 series win.
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