Denver Nuggets
2023 NBA Champions
The Denver Nuggets have done it. After 47 years, they won their first NBA Championship, coming back from a deficit in the first half dominated by Miami to take the series in Game 5.
It was a season to remember for fans in Denver. A year of wonderful firsts for the franchise. This marked the first time that the Nuggets finished a regular season with the best overall record in the league. They got past Minnesota in six in the first round, then dominated the Phoenix Suns in five to reach the Western Conference Finals. Once there, they won in a sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers, which marked the first time that the Nuggets had ever swept anyone in their postseason history. It also meant that, for the first time ever, they were Western Conference Champions, and played in their first ever NBA Finals.
Now, they beat Miami in five. They dominated at home in Game 1, lost a tight game at home in Game 2, which was the first (and only) home loss for the Nuggets in these playoffs. But they responded very well, enjoying two convincing road wins in Miami to grab a 3-1 series lead. The Heat appeared to be dominating the first half in many ways, yet only held a 7-point lead when the two teams went to the lockers for halftime.
In the second half, the Nuggets rallied and took the lead. Still, the Heat are a scrappy team that never quits, and they fought their way back into the game, even taking a lead again. Indeed, the final minutes saw the two teams locked in a very tight battle. Yet in the end, the Denver Nuggets persevered, as they had done pretty much all season.
To no one's surprise, Center Nikola Jokić of Serbia was named the NBA Finals MVP. That came just one day after tennis legend Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the French Open title, regained the number one ranking, and winning his 23rd career Grand Slam title, becoming the all-time leader on the men's side throughout history. Not a bad sports week for Serbia, a country of approximately seven million people.
So now, the Denver Nuggets have finally reached the mountaintop. In a season filled with huge firsts for the franchise, they scored their biggest and most impressive achievement: winning the NBA Championship.
Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets and their fans!
Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets f
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