NFL
By Keith Richards
The time is finally here! The 2023 NBA Finals are upon us! It’s the matchup that, seemingly, no one wants, but it is the matchup we all deserve. The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have busted their butts to make it this far. The 2023 NBA Finals will be the first time the Nuggets will play for it all. It will be Heat’s first NBA Finals appearance since 2020, which they lost to the Lakers. Miami will be playing for its fourth title.
As always, we will break down the key players for each team, and each team’s wild card player, and then give our prediction. The only difference this time is that we will break down each team individually for the NBA Finals. So, let’s bring it in!
Denver Nuggets
This has been a long road for the Denver Nuggets to make it to the NBA Finals. It started back in the 2020 Bubble Western Conference Finals. Since then, the Nuggets have not been healthy. This year has been the first year Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter, Jr. have had significant playing time together throughout the season. It reminds me of the opening to “Till I Collapse” by Eminem:
‘Cause sometimes you just feel tired, feel weak
And when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up
But you got to search within you, and try to find that inner strength
And just pull that s**t out of you
And get that motivation to not give up, and not be a quitter
No matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse
Through two injury-riddled seasons, and two MVP runs by Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone and this Denver Nuggets team refused to give up. They could have blown the team up and traded away Murray and MPJ, but they were persistent and had faith. That persistence and faith have led them to the NBA Finals. An NBA Finals in which their main man will have to shine.
The key player for the Nuggets in the NBA finals is Nikola Jokic. I’ve resisted naming Jokic as the key player in earlier articles because it’s been such a no-brainer. It’s still a no-brainer, but if the Nuggets want to bring it home in the NBA Finals, they will need Nikola at his absolute best.
Heading into the NBA Finals, Nikola Jokic is averaging 29.9 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 10.3 APG. Those numbers are just astronomical and insane. Jokic was arguably the most skilled big in the regular season, but he’s clearly been the most skilled big in the NBA Playoffs. The best chance the Miami Heat have against Nikola in the NBA Finals is Bam Adebayo. Bam is a capable defender but it’s a matchup Jokic could and should take advantage of. If he averages a triple-double, it’s trouble for the Heat.
The wild card for the Nuggets in the NBA Finals is Bruce Brown. Brown has been one of Denver’s greatest acquisitions this season. A lot of what he does doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but that does not make his value any less. His ability to play and defend multiple positions will be huge coming off the bench. With players like Jimmy “Himmy” Butler, Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin, Brown’s tenacity on both ends of the court will play a vital role if Denver is the victor of these NBA Finals.
Miami Heat
The road to the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat has been no less impressive. For one, Miami is only the second eight-seed to make the NBA Finals. The other was the 1999 New York Knicks, who would go on to lose to the San Antonio Spurs 4-1. That road includes having to play in two play-in games, beating the Milwaukee Bucks, beating the New York Knicks, and almost blowing a 3-0 lead to the Boston Celtics. All that has done is made this Heat team tough. They are led by the ultimate grit guy.
The key player for the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals is Jimmy Bulter aka Himmy Buckets. An NBA Championship has thus far alluded Butler and he’s hungry for that ring. On the road to the NBA Finals, Jimmy has improved upon almost all of his regular season stats. In the regular season, Butler averaged 22.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 5.3 APG. In the playoffs, Jimmy Butler is averaging 28.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 5.7 APG.
The only dip Himmy has seen is his field percentage. That has dipped from 53.9% to 48.3%. That’s the one concern the Heat have to have going into the NBA Finals. Butler can be amazing in one game and dreadful in the next. Miami will need a more steady performance from him if they look to pull off the upset.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Another key to the Miami Heat pulling off the upset in the NBA Finals is their wild card: Caleb Martin. In the last five games of the Eastern Conference Finals, particularly the last game, Martin was huge. His 21 points in game six almost won them the series. His 26 points in game seven did seal the series. Help may be on the way in the form of Tyler Herro, but that’s not likely until game three. Martin will need to be that consistent number two or three scorer until that point.
The Prediction
I won’t beat around the bush here. I think Denver wins this series 4-2. I give the Heat two games because they and their coach Erik Spoelstra have been here before. Miami is a team that plays with a championship mentality and has a chip on their shoulders. Spo will be out to prove he can do it without LeBron. Butler will be out to prove he is, without question, that dude.
That being said, Denver is just too good. They may look shaky early but, as said in the First Round Preview, they will overwhelm the Heat in the end. I believe the Miami Heat are a deep team, but the Nuggets are deeper. Jokic will continue to prove all the naysayers wrong as he leads Denver to its first NBA Championship and his first Finals MVP.
To semi-quote him once more, as Eminem said in 8 Mile when asked if he cared who is faced in the first round of battle, whether it was the Heat, Celtics, Sixers, or Bucks, Denver doesn’t give a [expletive] who it was. They’re ready and they’re hungry!
There’s still plenty of time to get your gear and rep your squad. Don’t forget to tune into the daily Twitter Spaces hosted by Melo and Kevo!
What a time to be alive!
The Eminem reference is on point!
Well done Mr. Richards.