Entry 4: "Finals Game 1 Overview"
The Denver Nuggets Take Game 1 Of The NBA Finals
By: Liz
June 1, 2023
I just want to start this off with some of my own personal thoughts and opinions on today and what it meant to me personally. You are more than welcome to skip to the more journalistic part of this article, or you can read what I have to say/what I think. Either way, I hope you enjoy this article.
I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous for the first game of a series as I was before the tip of this game. But then again, I hadn’t ever seen my team play in the Finals, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Man, I was worried about nothing. The Nuggets came out and dominated right from the jump! Sure, there were hiccups here and there, but overall, their performance showed everyone that they’re serious and deserve to be where they are.
Having major sports media outlets [ESPN/Sports Illustrated] put out articles for the public to read about how this team “isn't very interesting ” or stating that Denver’s run was “the easiest run” because they either faced or are facing play-in teams** is ridiculous. I’m sorry, but it is. Why discredit a team who is just the better of the two playing? And if the run was so ‘easy,’ then why did (almost) every analyst pick their opponents to beat them in every round?
[**Edit: Okay, this claim was made by a fan/fans, NOT a media outlet. I misinterpreted it, and that’s on me.]
I’m very proud of the Nuggets’ performance in their FIRST EVER Finals game; they were amazing in my eyes. Though I will admit, I was disappointed in some of the turnovers, defensive/offensive plays, and missed foul calls; But none of that mattered anyway, beating the Heat 104-93 and taking a 1-0 lead is a HUGE accomplishment!
Now, many people have placed bets based on the odds of winning the entire thing. Since I’m still too young to do all that, I’ll just share my prediction here where I’m sure nobody cares, but may enjoy it anyway. My dad is hoping for a sweep, and many other people (i.e. Shannon Sharpe) are in agreement. For me, I’m obviously just hoping they win the championship, but I’m going for a gentleman’s sweep. You know, 4-1. There are only two reasons for me to root for this result.
- Winning it all in Game Five (if necessary, of course) would mean winning it in front of their crowd on their home court.
- I know Miami is winning [at least] one game on their home court.
A gentleman’s sweep would be the second-best possible outcome, number one in my book, though.
The last thing I’ll say is, my dad has always had faith in this team. He’s been watching them play since he was young ( I think 12 or 13, but I can’t ask him right now since it’s late and he’s asleep), 30+ years. His whole life, everyone he knew always told him that Denver “will never make it to the Finals,” or “they’ll never win a championship,” but even with all that being said, he never lost hope. He’s been waiting nearly ¾ of his life for this moment, as I’m sure many diehard fans of this franchise have as well, but this is so personal to me because it’s my dad, you know? He raised me to always root for the underdog, and I’ve been a loyal fan ever since. So, TLDR here is this: if/when the Nuggets win the championship this year, it is going to be the most special thing to ever happen to me, my dad, and the fans of this team that have been there and supported them through it all.
Now then, let’s get to what you’re probably here to read, the overview of the first game.
The highly anticipated NBA Finals began today. Game one took place at Ball Arena in Denver, CO, a place where many (including myself, unfortunately) didn’t think it would end up. The eighth-seed Miami Heat versus the one-seed Denver Nuggets took longer than expected to be set, but it happened, and it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Both teams came out ready to play, despite speculation of tiredness (Heat) and rustiness (Nuggets).
Before game one took place, many analysts put their predictions in based on the betting odds for each team. Very few picked Miami to beat Denver in this series, mostly in seven games. But aside from the four that had this prediction, the other 12 picked Denver as the winner.
On the Heat’s side, Bam Adebayo was the star tonight, ending up with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in the 40 minutes he played. He was playing aggressively, something Miami needed from more than just him. Gabe Vincent also played well, 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists in 38 minutes is not bad. But it was Jimmy Butler that didn’t play with the most energy as we’ve seen in previous games, with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in his 38 minutes.
On the Nuggets side, Nikola Jokić became the second player to have a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut alongside Jason Kidd (2002 vs. the Lakers), with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both had double-doubles: 26 points and 10 assists for Murray; 14 points and 13 rebounds for Porter. However, Aaron Gordon stole the show with 12 first-quarter points, ending with 16 points and 6 rebounds overall.
While this is very impressive, both teams shot poorly from 3. Denver was 8/27 from 3 in this game (just below 30%), and Miami was 13/39 (slightly over 33%). On top of this, Denver tremendously out-free throwed Miami as well. Denver was 16/20 from the line (80% shooting), while Miami was only 2/2 (100% shooting), setting the record for the lowest amount of free throws shot in an NBA playoff game in history.
That wasn’t the only record broken*, Nikola Jokić joined NBA legends, Earving “Magic” Johnson and Lebron James, in having 15 career playoff triple-doubles. Nine of his 15 come just from this postseason alone, he also holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a single playoffs after passing Wilt Chamberlain’s record (8) in game four of the Western Conference Finals.
Edit: I realized this was a bad transition but wasn’t sure how to reword it.
Game two takes place on Sunday, June 4, at Ball Arena again before transitioning to Kaseya Center in Miami for games three and four. This series is going to be tough for both teams reaching for the same goal, but it will be very entertaining as well.
Sources:
Chris Mannix: ‘Frankly, the Nuggets aren’t very interesting’
the "weakest ring in professional sports history." - Tweet
seeds Denver played this postseason - Tweet
NBA Finals 2023: Experts' picks for Heat-Nuggets and Finals MVP
Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray lift Nuggets to commanding win over Heat in Game 1 of NBA Finals
Miami Heat attempt fewest free throws in playoff game in NBA history
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic breaks Wilt Chamberlain triple-double playoff record