NEWSLETTER
For the first time in franchise history, the Denver Nuggets are NBA champions.
In what was a hard-fought Game 5 in Denver, the Nuggets and Heat traded the lead late into the 4th quarter. Superstar Jimmy Butler strung together one final surge to score 8-straight points and regain the lead for the Heat 87-86 with 2:47 to go. Three of those points happened to come on a highly-controversial call where Butler kicked out his leg behind the arc to force contact on Aaron Gordon. Despite initiating that contact, the refs reviewed it and still sent Butler to the charity stripe.
A team effort in the final minutes, however, secured the victory for Denver. Role players Bruce Brown and Ketavious Caldwell-Pope will go down in Nuggets history for their closing effort, which included a huge steal by Caldwell-Pope and clutch free throws by Brown.
Nikola Jokic – unsurprisingly – finished with a game-high 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 14 assists. Michael Porter Jr. also added a much-needed double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Denver may have only shot 5-28 from the field, but their high-effort team basketball ultimately proved too much for a Cinderella Miami Heat to handle.
Anyway, congratulations to the Denver Nuggets. Not only were they arguably the most complete basketball team in the league, but they have a true legendary talent in Jokic. How can you not respect this team?
