The National Basketball Association (NBA) Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat to win their first championship in 56 years. Ace Nikola Jokic was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Denver defeated Miami 94-89 in Game 5 of the 2022-2023 NBA championship series at PepsiCo Arena in Denver, Colorado, USA, on March 13. Denver, which took a 4-1 lead in the series, won its first NBA championship in 56 years since its inception in 1967. The Nuggets, who have competed in the NBA since 1976 after starting out as an American Basketball Association (ABA) franchise, reached the championship game for the first time this season and won.
Jokic, who led a late-game comeback with 28 points and 16 rebounds, was unanimously named MVP by the 11 voters after averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in five games.메이저사이트
Miami, which came in as the “upset of the eight seeds,” will have to wait until next time for its fourth championship.
Trailing 44-51 at halftime behind nine points from Jokic, the Heat rallied in the third quarter to close the gap. Trailing 70-71 to start the fourth quarter, Denver took the lead on a hook shot by Jokic, followed by a three-pointer by Jermaine Murray (14 points, 8 rebounds) to pull away.
Miami didn’t back down from the brink, either. Ace Jimmy Butler (21 points) kept the game close. There was even a brief one-point seesaw at the end of the fourth quarter. But Butler’s crucial mistake was the difference in the game. With Denver leading 90-89 with 27 seconds left in regulation, Butler drove to the basket and was intercepted by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (11 points). Miami quickly fouled, and Caldwell-Pope made both free throws to make it a three-point game. Butler and Kyle Lowry (12 points) then hit 3-pointers off the rim before Bruce Brown (10 points) added two free throws to close out the game.
Jokic, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in back-to-back seasons in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, didn’t win the award this season behind Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), but he had the last laugh in his first career championship.
In his postgame interview, Jokic said, “It’s good. The job is done. I can go home now,” Jokic said in his postgame interview.
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