For the first time in their franchise’s history, the Denver Nuggets are NBA champions.
Led by Finals MVP Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets finished off the Miami Heat 94-89 at home on Monday to capture their first title, with a raucous crowd to cheer them on.
It was by no means a beautiful game through which the Nuggets clinched the ring. It was a rock fight of a game, with the Nuggets shooting 5-of-28 from 3-point range and 13-of-23 from the free-throw line. The Heat weren’t much better, shooting 9-of-34 from deep, but were sunk by a 71-50 rebounding disadvantage. Even the officials had a brutal game, making a hideous call on a Jimmy Butler 3-point attempt in crunch time and allowing it to stand.
Unsurprisingly, Jokić was Denver’s saving grace. The two-time MVP finished the game with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting, 16 rebounds and four assists. The best player in basketball since the playoffs began (and arguably for the last three years) will finish his season with a ring some were doubting would come as recently as a month or two ago.
Now all that’s left is the parade.