Entry 1: "The Denver Nuggets Are The Best In The West"
After Sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets are Headed to Their First Ever Finals Appearance
By: Liz
May 24, 2023
Where were you when the Denver Nuggets managed to sweep the team that always seemed to get them before they could ever reach this point? Will you remember this day for the rest of your life? These are a couple questions that I’ve thought about for roughly the last 36 hours. It was probably the most surreal moment of many people’s lives, watching their team make history in more than one way in one night. Not only does this victory mean Denver’s headed for the Finals, but it was also:
- The first playoff sweep in franchise history
- The first Western Conference win in franchise history
- The first time Lakers superstar, Lebron James, was swept before the finals in his career
- The first time Denver has beaten LA in a playoff series
- And the Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP was given to Nikola Jokić, certainly his first but most likely not his last
This historic playoff run has the entirety of Nuggets Nation* jumping for joy. Fans are celebrating this massive victory from all over the world! From Spain to Germany, France to Italy, and (most notably) Canada to Serbia, fans of this team are keeping good energy when it comes to the upcoming series. However, much like the anxious fans who are waiting to watch the first Finals game the Nuggets will ever play, I’m waiting to see who the opponent will be.
*Nuggets Nation - the Denver Nuggets fan base; I chose to reference this specific page because it is one of the most accurate depictions of what this fanbase is all about.
In my opinion, I think the Nuggets have the will to beat either Boston or Miami and take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year. But based on performances, I’d give the Miami Heat the benefit of the doubt when it comes to giving Denver a hard time, a worthy opponent in a sense. Jimmy Butler has been on fire in the postseason, everyone has seen it. He has averaged 29.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists during the 14 games he has played this postseason. That’s incredible basketball being played, I’ll admit that and I’m a Nuggets fan. But, comparing that to Celtics star, Jason Tatum [28.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 17 playoff games], I’d honestly prefer it if the Heat were the Nuggets' opponent in the Finals.
Here’s why I say that. I’m taking a few aspects into consideration when stating this opinion, it can be taken as ‘controversial,’ but I’m thinking logically here.
First of all, should Miami advance (which I wholeheartedly believe they will/they’re putting it away in Boston tomorrow), the Nuggets will have home-court advantage over them. The reason I bring this point up is because the Nuggets are undefeated at home this playoffs, and are sitting on a 12-3 record overall (so far). I truly believe if Denver hosts the Finals, they’re walking out of this series with the championship in the bag.
Another thought I had involves possible matchups. I’m going off the assumption that Miami is Denver’s opponent still, so needless to say, there are going to be some key matchups that can make or break one of these teams. The main one I’m choosing to focus on today is just a take, not set yet though I’m sure it would/will be what happens, who is going to guard Jimmy Butler? Sure, Nikola Jokić would most likely guard and be guarded by Bam Adebayo; Jamal Murray or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may guard Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent, or Max Strus; Michael Porter Jr. would probably be on Duncan Robinson; but who would be guarding the guy who has played the best? I think Michael Malone would put Aaron Gordon on him, and here’s why:
- Aaron Gordon had a defensive rating of 114.5 during the regular season
- He has a defensive rating of 115.5 during these playoffs
To quickly sum up what I was trying to prove in my point before the paragraph gets too long, Aaron Gordon is one of the best defenders left in the playoffs, period. He’s had to guard players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, and Lebron James in the series’ Denver has played, and he’s done an outstanding job, which is why I feel he’d be the best person to guard Jimmy Butler during the Finals if Miami advances.
The last thing I’ll mention, since I’m sure I’ve bored you to death with this long entry, is this: Are there really storylines or ‘scripts’ made up by NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver? Or is it all in our heads? This one is up for debate, it’s really anyone’s guess at this point. I honestly don’t know if I can say with my chest that I believe Silver is capable of that, or if the media is just pushing the agendas that will spike their ratings. I honestly think that’s really what it is, media outlets like ESPN… Actually, I’ll save that whole take for another time. Whether you believe in this ‘conspiracy theory’ or not is completely up to you, but all I have to say is, we as fans need to keep an eye out for who will be refereeing the Finals games. I could go on and on for hours on end about the NBA Referees, but I won’t for now, that could be an entry for a later date.
For now, as I conclude this piece that has taken me many hours to complete [with about a hundred “brain breaks” in between paragraphs and sentences], I’ll leave you all with this: Regardless of how this trip to the Finals goes, we all should be proud of what this team has done to get here. All the work put in, hardships endured, and heartbreaks we’ve lived through are what have pushed the Denver Nuggets to this point. History has been made, but there is still so much more to do.
Sources:
Nuggets sweep Lakers, earn first Finals berth in franchise history
Who is Larry O'Brien? Origin of NBA Finals championship trophy named after former commissioner
Jimmy Butler Stats 2023 Postseason
Jason Tatum Stats 2023 Postseason
How the 2023 NBA Finals rosters were built: Denver Nuggets
2022-2023 Denver Nuggets Playoff Roster