Heat's hot playoff run propels them to matchup with Nuggets
MIAMI - The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, a matchup basketball fans did not expect to see in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The Nuggets steamrolled their way to the Finals, defeating the Minnesota T-Wolves in 5 games, Phoenix Suns in 6, and sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in 4 games.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray came up big for the Nuggets, averaging 32.5 points per game and shooting 40% from the three-ball in the series against the Lakers.
The two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has been on a tear this postseason, averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, all while recording 8 triple-doubles in the Nuggets' 15 playoff games.
Jokic was named the Western Conference Finals MVP.
The Heat on the other hand, have been the Cinderella story this postseason.
The Heat participated in two Play-in games, losing the first to the Atlanta Hawks, before squaring off with the Chicago Bulls in a must-win Play-in game.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Heat were 3 minutes away before having their season come to an end.
The Heat surged to victory, defeating the Bulls and clinching the No.8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat continued that momentum through the rest of the playoffs, and it started in the first round as the No.8 seed Heat upset the No.1 Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games.
The Heat were met after with the New York Knicks, and in just Game 1, Jimmy Butler sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him out of Game 2.
The Heat however, kept the foot on the gas and defeated the Knicks in 6 games.
And in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat were met with a familiar foe; the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics were looking to get back to the NBA Finals following last season's Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, and the Heat were looking for redemption after last season's Game 7 loss at home.
The Heat looked strong, almost unbeatable in the first three games of the series and they took a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Celtics would not go down lightly, and stormed back into the series, evening the series 3-3, including a season-saving game-winning layup by Derrick White in Game 6, opening the door for a Game 7 at the TD Garden.
And as the recent momentum looked like to have favored the Celtics, the Heat had to stare history in the eyes and choose what side they were going to be a part of; become the first team in NBA history to a blow a 3-0 series lead and lose 4-3, or become the second No.8 seed to reach the NBA Finals.
In Game 7, the Heat came out firing on all cylinders, but it was the defense that won them the game.
Caleb Martin continued his sensational playoff run, scoring 26 points for the team and Jimmy Butler scored 28.
The Heat went to TD Garden, dominated the Celtics, and won Game 7, 103-84.
Butler was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Now as Butler likes to credit in his Instagram posts, the magic number now for the Heat is 4.
The Heat are 4 wins away from bringing their fourth NBA championship back home, but have to face a determined and hungry Denver Nuggets team who are looking to win their first NBA title ever.
"Nobody's satisfied. We haven't done anything. We don't just want the Eastern Conference, we play to win the whole thing," said Butler after the Game 7 victory.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday, June 1 at 8:30 p.m.
