The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time since joining the league as part of the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.
Denver went 16-4 through four playoff rounds and completed its run with a 94-89 home win over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.
“Since Day 1 in training camp in San Diego, we knew we could do this, so we worked for this,” Nuggets guard Bruce Brown told the media after the win. “We worked extremely hard. Every practice [and] every game, we stayed locked in, [and] we stayed together.”
“It’s amazing,” Denver guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added. “It’s been so long for the Nuggets organization to be in this position. We knew we wanted to come out and be the first team to ever do it, and I’m excited to be a part of the history that we made.”
The Nuggets had to come from behind after falling behind early as Bam Adebayo and Max Strus combined for 22 of the Heat’s 24 points in the first quarter. Jimmy Butler added his scoring prowess to the mix in the second, and Miami built a seven-point halftime lead.
Denver rallied in the third, and Jamal Murray tied the game at 60 with a three-pointer with 6:46 left in the quarter, forcing a Miami timeout. The Heat responded as the teams went back and forth, but Michael Porter Jr’s three with 1:31 to go in the quarter gave Denver its first lead since the first quarter.
Kyle Lowry hit one from long-range to help Miami regain a one-point edge entering the fourth, but Murray and Nikola Jokic took control of the game as the teams battled down the stretch.
Trailing by four with 3:21 remaining, the referee called a foul on Denver’s Aaron Gordon on a Butler three-point attempt from the corner. Upon replay review, many believed no foul had actually occurred, but the officials stuck with the call, allowing Butler three free throws to cut the deficit to one.
After Butler sank all three shots, Miami got a defensive stop, and Butler drained a jump shot to give the Heat a one-point lead.
With 1:31 to go in regulation, Bruce Brown cleaned up a Murray miss with a layup to give Denver the edge. After a couple of scoreless possession, Butler drove the lane but was cut off by the Nuggets’ defense, and his pass was stolen by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was fouled and made both shots to add to the lead.
Down by three with seconds to go, the Heat attempted to get a shooter free for a three-point attempt off the inbound from a timeout. Denver’s defense stood firm, denying any openings for Duncan Robinson and forcing Butler to miss a contested shot. Brown grabbed the rebound and made two free throws to make it a two-possession game.
Miami’s Kyle Lowry missed a last-chance three-ball, and Caldwell-Pope dribbled out the clock as fans rushed the court to celebrate the franchise’s first NBA title in its 47 years in the NBA.
“Those last couple of minutes, the clock was moving really slow,” Denver Coach Michael Malone told the media in a press conference. “As you realize what you’re about to accomplish, it’s almost surreal.”
Jokic finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists and was named MVP after leading the league in all three categories throughout the playoffs — becoming just the third second-round pick to win the award.
“On the basketball court, he has proven time and time again that he’s the best player in the NBA,” Malone told ESPN of his star center during the on-court trophy ceremony. “He’s our MVP. We love him, and we’re thankful he’s in a Nuggets uniform.”
