Denver Nuggets win first NBA finals after long uphill battle

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in game five of the NBA finals on June 12, winning their first championship. 

The Nuggets made the NBA playoffs as the number one seed. In game one of the first round, the Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-80. 

Denver continued to win until game four, falling to Minnesota 108-114. However, they returned to the court for game five with new energy, defeating the Timberwolves 112-109 and winning the first series of the NBA playoffs. 

In this final game of the series, Jokić was responsible with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, while Murray racked up 35 points of his own. 

From here, the Nuggets went on to play the Phoenix Suns. The Suns gave the team a run for their money, forcing the series to game six. However, Denver ultimately came out victorious, winning game six by 25 points. 

In that game, Jokić led the Nuggets with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and Murray was the second-highest scorer with 26 points. 

The Nuggets then advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they took on the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Denver completed a clean sweep of the Lakers, winning the series in four games and claiming their first Western Conference championship. 

The Nuggets then defeated the Heat in five games to claim their first NBA finals championship in franchise history. 

In game one, Denver proved they were a force to be reckoned with. They defeated Miami 104-93, with their star player Nikola Jokić recording an impressive triple-double – three statistics in the double-digits – of 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. 

In game two, the Heat found their groove and gave the Nuggets a run for their money. With Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Gabe Vincent scoring over 20 points each, the Nuggets weren't able to shut down Miami, losing 108-111. 

The Nuggets didn't let this faze them, though. They won games three and four, defeating the Heat 109-94 and 108-95, respectively. 

Leading the series 3-1, Denver only needed one more win to claim their first NBA championship. Miami didn't make this easy for them, though. 

It seemed as though the Heat might push the series to game six, as they led 71-70 going into the fourth quarter. Impeccable defense by the Nuggets prevented this from happening, though.

Denver held the Heat to only 18 points in the final quarter, which allowed them to surpass their opponents, win game five 94-89 and claim their first NBA finals trophy. 

We can discuss statistics all we want, but the story of the Denver Nuggets is much more complex. 

This is a franchise that has struggled for years to make themselves competitive in the NBA, and it's safe to say now that they've officially conquered this feat. 

But it didn't happen overnight. 

The Nuggets embarked on their long journey to finally reach the championship way back in 2014. 

The Nuggets used their 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft on Nikola Jokić. 

Surely Jokić is a name every basketball fan has heard at some point in time. He's a five-time NBA All-Star, has made five All-NBA teams and won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. 

However, Jokić's career didn't start out this impressively. After being drafted 41st overall, no one considered him to be an upcoming MVP. 

Jokić – a Serbian native – first drew attention playing youth basketball for Vojvodina Srbijagas in Serbia. From there, he signed a contract with Mega Vizura, a professional basketball club in Belgrade, Serbia. 

As Jokić continued to improve, he gained recognition from the NBA. In 2014, he was selected at the 41st overall pick, and his rise to the top began. 

However, Jokić still had one more year playing for the Mega Vizura team. That February, he was named the MVP of the month, averaging 21.7 points and 12.3 rebounds a game. 

Throughout 14 games in the Serbian League, Jokić averaged 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. With these impressive statistics, Jokić headed to the United States to begin his NBA career. 

In his rookie season for the Denver Nuggets, Jokić recorded career-highs of 27 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. 

From this point forward, Jokić grew into the dominant player we know today. He continued to improve his career-highs, and now they stand at 53 points, 27 rebounds and 18 assists. 

While Jokić contributed greatly to the Nuggets, his presence alone wasn't enough. This is when Jamal Murray enters the picture. 

Murray – born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario – began playing basketball when he was only three years old. He fell in love with the game and practiced for hours each day. 

Murray's hard work paid off, because in 2015 he was named the MVP of the BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game, a game only the top high school players in Canada are invited to. 

After graduating high school, Murray signed his Letter of Intent with the University of Kentucky. In just his freshmen year, Murray set a Kentucky franchise record of most points per game by any freshmen with his average of 20 points per game. 

In April 2016, Murray announced he would not use his final three years of college eligibility. Instead, he was heading for the NBA draft. 

On June 23, 2016, the Denver Nuggets drafted Murray with their seventh overall pick. By the end of his rookie season, Murray had recorded a career-high of 30 points and was named a member of the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. 

Murray has continued to improve steadily, and now his career-high sits at 50 points. 

With the dominance of both Jokić and Murray, things were starting to look up for the Denver Nuggets. That was until April 2021, when Murray suffered an ACL tear in his left knee. 

The Nuggets announced that Murray would be out indefinitely, and on April 21, Murray was wheeled into the emergency room to undergo surgery. 

Due to his injury, Murray missed the entire 2021-22 season. Without the other half of their unstoppable duo, the Denver Nuggets lost in game five to the Golden State Warriors during the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. 

Eighteen months after his injury – on October 19, 2022 – Murray stepped onto the court. In his first game back, he scored 12 points in 26 minutes. 

Two months later, Murray racked up 21 points and scored the game-winning three pointer over the Portland Trail Blazers. 

In his next few games, Murray continued to set career-highs. On March 10, 2023, Murray made his 805th career three pointer, making him the all-time leader in three pointers for the Denver Nuggets. 

With both Jokić and Murray healthy, the Denver Nuggets finally had their shot at an NBA finals championship. The team had the best overall record in the Western Conference, winning 57 of their games and losing 25. 

The Denver Nuggets stand as a testimony to hard work and patience. It took years for the team to develop Jokić and Murray into the powerful duo they are today.

The city of Denver should not only be proud that their team brought home a trophy, but they should also be proud of the way their team handles adversity. The Nuggets have finally climbed their unclimbable mountain. 

But don't think this story of triumph is over for the Denver Nuggets just yet. With such a young, talented team, we're going to be hearing a lot more about this franchise in years to come.