NBA Playoffs Finals Recap: Best Moments, Performances, Highlights
Jun 13, 2023, 10:00 AM | Updated: 11:21 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The 2023 NBA Finals was not what basketball fans expected, but it also didn’t disappoint.
The favorite from the west and a play-in team from the east clashed in a Finals series that will be remembered for years.
The @nuggets are the 2022-23 NBA Champions! pic.twitter.com/8Kb1HZIkaj
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
Nuggets Continue Dominance In Playoffs
The Heat were underdogs in every single series as the 8-seed. It took a two-time MVP and one of the most cohesive teams in recent memory to take down Miami.
Denver ends the franchise’s 47-year NBA Finals drought behind the star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jokic, the 2023 Finals MVP, averaged 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.2 assists on 58.3% from the floor. Murray posted 21.4 points and 10 assists.
The Nuggets silenced a lot of critics and killed a lot of storylines surrounding the team. People said that Jokic couldn’t lead a championship team. Others said that Jamal Murray was ‘damaged goods’ after his injury in 2021.
What are they going to say now? pic.twitter.com/6I8eHAqGPK
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 13, 2023
Miami’s Cinderella Run Comes To An End On The Biggest Stage
After willing his team to multiple wins in the first three series, Jimmy Butler struggled in the finals. He posted 21.6 points a game on 41.4% from the field and 36.8% from three. He had the worst plus/minus on the Heat at -7.4.
Bam Adebayo picked up some of the slack left by Butler, but it wasn’t enough to extend the series past five games. He averaged 21.8 points and 12.4 rebounds.
After Miami took game two in Denver, they felt confident in their ability to do it again. However, Denver made adjustments like they had all year long and took both of Miami’s home games.
In the sole game that the Heat won, they forced Jokic to carry the offense. Typically, Jokic does that by having the offense run through him so he can playmake and score when necessary. However, the Heat took away all of his other options and turned him into a pure scorer.
The Joker put up 41 points and just four assists in the three-point loss.
NIKOLA JOKIĆ IS AN NBA CHAMPION AND YOUR FINALS MVP. pic.twitter.com/2hBGcFqNVh
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 13, 2023
Denver Nuggets Close Season With First NBA Finals Win
The Nuggets will head into next season as a clear-cut favorite to repeat. They have almost everyone in their core under contract and the chemistry can only get better from here.
Denver capped off what was one of the best NBA seasons this decade. Fans were graced with multiple 70-point performances, big-time trades, and nightly highlights. Sometimes, the journey is just as sweet as the destination.
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Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.
