Denver Nuggets win first NBA championship behind historic Nikola Jokic performance
Conrad Hoyt
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The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship on Monday as they defeated the Miami Heat four games to one in the NBA Finals.
Nikola Jokic, a two-time NBA MVP and star center for the Nuggets, won Finals MVP for his contributions. He averaged 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.4 steals in the series, cementing himself as an all-time basketball great and one of the most versatile players to ever play the game.
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The Nuggets were the best team in the Western Conference in the regular season and looked even better as the playoffs began. They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves four games to one, the Phoenix Suns four games to two, and the Los Angeles Lakers four games to zero before moving on to defeat the Heat in five games. Overall, that is a 16-4 playoff record, a dominant display.
In addition to Jokic, Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray helped lead the way. The duo’s crafty two-man game proved nearly impossible to defend against, as both are adept at shooting, passing, driving toward the basket, and moving without the basketball. Contributions from Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, and other Nuggets role players helped them cruise to their first championship ring.
The Nuggets are now the third team in the last eight years to win their first NBA championship, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and Toronto Raptors (2019). For a league that has been criticized in the past for a lack of parity, that is something it will certainly hang its hat on.
And Jokic’s emergence as not only a superstar but now an NBA champion, continues to showcase the NBA as an international product. Jokic is from Serbia, born in the mid-90s amid the Yugoslav Wars. This year’s regular season MVP, Joel Embiid, is from Cameroon and only started playing basketball at 15 years old. And 2021 NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is from Greece and has been outspoken about the trials and tribulations he faced as a boy.
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The NBA has a new champion, and the trophy lies in Denver.