In Game 4, he stripped Butler as he made a move to the basket in the final five minutes with the Heat trying to rally to set up a Nuggets transition basket. But with 6:42 left to play, the only Nugget with an NBA title prior to Monday returned to help the Nuggets close the game.įor the second straight game, KCP made a huge defensive play on Jimmy Butler late in the fourth. Between the third and fourth quarters, the Nuggets put out a statement that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was questionable to return with a right wrist sprain. NEVER DOUBT BRUCIE BOY!! /XJUQ6GUz7jĦ – Oh, and don’t forget about KCP. GAME WINNING PUTBACK LAYUP AND TWO CLUTCH FREE THROWS AT THE END. Instead, it was Bruce Brown that delivered the two points that put the Nuggets up for good, following up a missed Murray fadeaway jumper with a strong offensive rebound and putback with 1:31 to play. After Jimmy Butler hit a pair of free throws to put the Heat up by one point, 89-88, with 1:58 to play, it wasn’t Jokic or Murray who scored the final six points of the game to seal the victory. G0hOaIIQ5jĥ – But this Denver title was about a team, not just their star duo. Murray also joined some elite company with his first Finals run, becoming only the fourth player to ever average at least 20 points and 10 assists in the Finals.įour players have averaged 20+ PPG and 10+ APG in the Finals:Īnd now, Jamal Murray. What a moment for Jamal Murray □ /SoufZij5ib Now, he's an NBA champion □ /eH2jVeyG9PĤ – When Murray was interviewed by ABC’s Lisa Salters following the trophy presentation, the Ball Arena crowd erupted in cheers, acknowledging the blood, sweat and tears that Murray put into his comeback to help this Nuggets team reach its full potential. Jamal Murray missed the entire 2021-22 season with a torn ACL. Yet “NBA champion Jamal Murray” did it mostly through distribution, not scoring. As the Nuggets embarked on this playoff run, there was talk of “Bubble Murray” being the key to Denver making a championship run, harkening back to Jamal’s outstanding, prolific performances in the 2020 playoffs at the Orlando bubble. jJFwL4SY9Sģ – Once the final buzzer sounded and the realization sank in that the Nuggets had won the title, the emotions took over for Jamal Murray, who battled back from an ACL tear in April 2021 to get back to the player he was before the injury. Nikola Jokic is the 1st player in NBA history to lead the playoffs in total points, rebounds, and assists.Īll. □ /NqgsGfVvcQĬongratulations to NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic!! 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists in the Playoffs? The first in NBA history to lead the Playoffs in all 3?□□□□□□ As has been the theme throughout the Finals, Jokic made more history on Monday, becoming the first player to ever lead all players in points, rebounds and assists in a single postseason. The Denver Nuggets are NBA Champions for the 1st time in the franchise's history □Ģ – Coming as little surprise, Nikola Jokic won the Bill Russell Finals MVP award in a unanimous vote. The play was frenetic and sloppy at times, but in the end the Nuggets made enough plays down the stretch to win the title on their home floor. It felt more like a Game 7 than a Game 5, which was key for the Nuggets to match the desperation of a Miami team playing to keep its season alive. Larry O’Brien served as NBA Commissioner when the Nuggets joined the NBA and now 47 years later, the Nuggets hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time as league champions.ġ – What a game! It may not have been the prettiest basketball ever played, but Game 5 was a classic as the teams battled for the full 48 minutes. It is the first championship for the Nuggets since joining the NBA as part of the NBA/ABA merger in 1976. The Denver Nuggets are 2023 NBA champions after a thrilling and hard-fought 94-89 win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic delivered a Finals and playoff run that was unmatched in NBA history.
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