2023 NBA Finals
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Dates | June 1–12 | |||||||||
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Western Finals | Nuggets defeated Lakers, 4–0 | |||||||||
The 2023 NBA Finals was the championship series of the
The Nuggets defeated the Heat in four of five games, winning their first championship in franchise history after 47 seasons in the NBA. Denver's
Background
Miami Heat
After losing in game 7 of the
In the first round, they faced the Milwaukee Bucks, the team with the best record in the league and the betting favorites to win the championship.[11] The Heat took game 1 on the road after Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a lower back contusion in the first half that ruled him out for the remainder of game 1, as well as the next two games.[12] The Heat also lost star power of their own, as they lost starter Tyler Herro in game 1 with a broken hand, and Victor Oladipo with a torn left patellar tendon in game 3.[13] Despite their setbacks, the Heat still managed to take a 2–1 series lead. In game 4, the Heat trailed by 12 with under six minutes remaining, but they went on a pivotal 30–13 run down the stretch, with Jimmy Butler scoring a career-high 56 points in a 119–114 victory to put the Bucks on the brink of elimination.[14] The Heat then overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit in game 5 to become the sixth 8-seeded team to defeat a 1-seeded team in playoff history.[15] Butler, who averaged just 22.9 points in the regular season, finished the first round averaging 37.6 points on 60% from the field.[16]
Later in the conference semifinals, they defeated the
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have had several years of recent success. In
The Nuggets entered the 2022–23 season with Murray and Porter Jr. healthy again. During the offseason, they traded for starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and rotation player Ish Smith from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Monté Morris and Will Barton.[26] Denver also signed Bruce Brown in free agency and added young talent through the 2022 NBA draft, selecting Christian Braun and trading for Peyton Watson, giving up draft picks and JaMychal Green.[27] With a healthy roster, the Nuggets finished the season with a 53–29 record and clinched the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history.[28]
In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets won in five games over the eighth-seeded
Road to the Finals
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Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot
- * – Division leader
Miami Heat (Eastern Conference champion) | Denver Nuggets (Western Conference champion) | |
---|---|---|
Lost to the 8th placed Atlanta Hawks, 105–116 | Game 1 | N/A |
Defeated the 10th placed Chicago Bulls, 102–91 | Game 2 |
Miami Heat (Eastern Conference champion) | Denver Nuggets (Western Conference champion) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Defeated the 1st-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1 | First round | Defeated the 8th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, 4–1 | |
Defeated the 5th-seeded New York Knicks, 4–2 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the 4th-seeded Phoenix Suns, 4–2 | |
Defeated the 2nd-seeded Boston Celtics, 4–3 | Conference Finals | Defeated the 7th-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0 |
Regular season series
The Nuggets won the regular season series 2–0.
Series summary
On April 26, the NBA announced that the start times for all the weeknight Finals games will move from 9:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT for the first time in 20 years. Sunday start times remained at 8:00 p.m. EDT.[32][33]
Game | Date | Road team | Result | Home Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | June 1 | Miami Heat | 93–104 (0–1) | Denver Nuggets |
Game 2 | June 4 | Miami Heat | 111–108 (1–1) | Denver Nuggets |
Game 3 | June 7 | Denver Nuggets | 109–94 (2–1) | Miami Heat |
Game 4 | June 9 | Denver Nuggets | 108–95 (3–1) | Miami Heat |
Game 5 | June 12 | Miami Heat | 89–94 (1–4) | Denver Nuggets |
Game summaries
- Note: Times are UTC−4) as listed by NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
Game 1
June 1
8:30 pm (6:30 pm MDT) |
Miami Heat 93, Denver Nuggets 104 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 22–30, 21–25, 30–20 | ||
7 | Pts: Nikola Jokić 27 Rebs: Michael Porter Jr. 13 Asts: Nikola Jokić 14 | |
Denver leads series, 1–0 |
Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,528 Referees:
|
Jokić had 10 points and 10
Jokić had 27 points on 67% shooting to go along with 14 assists and 10 rebounds, joining
Game 2
June 4
8:00 pm (6:00 pm MDT) |
Miami Heat 111, Denver Nuggets 108 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 25–34, 24–26, 36–25 | ||
9 | Pts: Nikola Jokić 41 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 11 Asts: Jamal Murray 10 | |
Series tied, 1–1 |
Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,537 Referees:
|
Miami rallied from a 15-point deficit to win 111–108 behind 23 points from Vincent and 21 each from Butler and Adebayo, becoming the first No. 8 seed to win an NBA Finals game on the road. The Heat built an early 21–10 lead with 4:56 left in the opening quarter before the Nuggets went on a 40–14 run over the next 12 minutes, turning the double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead. Down by eight entering the fourth quarter, the Heat outscored Denver 32–12 in the opening 8:21 of the fourth quarter to take a 12-point lead, then frittered most of it away and had to survive a 3-point try by Murray that missed as time expired.[38] Miami knocked down 17 of their 35 threes and converted 18 of 20 free throws after making just two in Game 1. Jokić scored a game-high 41 points but recorded a playoff-low four assists as the Nuggets lost their first home game since March 30.[38]
With Martin dealing with an illness, Miami elected to insert Kevin Love, who did not play in Game 1, into the starting lineup.[38] Strus, who was 0 for 10 in Game 1, had four 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Heat jumped out to an early 11-point lead, but the Nuggets reclaimed momentum early in the second quarter with four 3-pointers in a 70-second span as Miami trailed by as much as 15 in the first half.[38] Despite an 18-point third quarter from Jokić, the Heat hung around to trail by eight entering the fourth quarter. Coming into the game, Denver was undefeated in the playoffs when leading by double digits and boasted a 37–1 record for the season when leading by at least eight points going into the final quarter.[38]
Miami opened the first 2:43 of the fourth quarter with a 15–2 scoring run, highlighted by
Game 3
June 7
8:30 pm |
Denver Nuggets 109, Miami Heat 94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 29–24, 29–20, 27–26 | ||
: Jokić, Murray 10 each | Pts: Jimmy Butler 28 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 17 Asts: Lowry, Strus 5 each | |
Denver leads series, 2–1 |
Jokić and Murray became the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each record a 30-point triple-double in the same game as the Nuggets won 109–94, reclaiming the series lead.[40] After a tight first half that saw neither team claim a lead bigger than five, the Heat never led in the second half, as Denver pushed the lead to double digits for the first time early in the third quarter and led by as much as 21 later in the half. The Nuggets won their fourth straight road game, while Miami lost their third straight home game after starting off 6–0 at home this postseason.[40]
Jokić and Murray combined for 24 made field goals, while the entire Heat team managed 34. The duo also contributed significantly on the glass, grabbing a combined 31 rebounds to the Heat's total of 33, while their 20 assists matched Miami's total of 20.[40] For Jokić, this marked his 10th triple-double of the playoffs, further extending his single-season record for triple-doubles in a single playoff run. He finished the game by converting 12 of his 21 shot attempts, while his 32 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists made him the first player to record 30-plus points, 20-plus rebounds, and 10-plus assists in a finals game.[41] For Murray, he finished with a game-high 34 points on 55% from the field to go along with 10 boards and 10 assists, joining Magic Johnson and Bob Cousy as the only players in finals history to record 10-plus assists in three consecutive games.[42]
Jokić and Murray also received contributions from their teammates, as Christian Braun scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting in 19 minutes off the bench, while Gordon added a double-double as Denver dominated the boards (58 to 33) and points in the paint (60 to 34).[40] For Miami, Butler finished with 28 points, and Adebayo recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds but only made 7 of his 21 shot attempts. Vincent and Strus shot a combined 3 for 17 as the Heat finished the game shooting 37% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc.[40] Udonis Haslem, aged 42 years and 363 days, became the oldest player to play in the NBA Finals; he came off the bench with 29.8 seconds left in the game.[43]
Game 4
June 9
8:30 pm |
Denver Nuggets 108, Miami Heat 95 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 35–30, 31–22, 22–22 | ||
12 | Pts: Jimmy Butler 25 Rebs: Bam Adebayo 11 Asts: Butler, Lowry 7 each | |
Denver leads series, 3–1 |
Miami, Florida Attendance: 20,184 Referees:
|
Gordon dropped a game-high 27 points on 11 of 15 from the field, Jokić chipped in 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Murray recorded 15 points and 12 assists as the Nuggets took a commanding 3–1 series lead back to Denver.[44] Bruce Brown came off the bench and scored 11 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, thwarting any attempt by the Heat to overcome their eighth double-digit deficit of the playoffs. The Nuggets won their fifth straight road game,[44] improving to 9–1 in their last ten playoff games, while Miami dropped to 2–6 in their last eight games,[45] as they fell into a 3–1 hole for the third consecutive finals appearance.[44]
After neither team could claim a double-digit lead in the first half for the second consecutive game, the Nuggets led by 13 going into the fourth quarter. Similar to their game 2 victory, the Heat scored the first eight points of the quarter, and Jokić committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left.[44] Miami narrowed the lead to five with 8:42 remaining,[44] but the Nuggets held firm, as Brown scored 11 points during a 14–4 run down the stretch that gave Denver a 17-point lead, their largest of the night.[46] Murray, who committed seven turnovers in game 3, finished the game with 12 assists and zero turnovers, joining Magic Johnson and Robert Reid as the only players to record 12-plus assists with zero turnovers in a finals game.[47]
Butler led the Heat with 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Adebayo had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and seven turnovers.[44] Kyle Lowry chipped in with 13 points and seven assists off the bench, but the starting backcourt of Strus and Vincent scored just two points on 1 of 10 shooting as the Heat were held to under 100 points for the third time this series.[48] The Nuggets made 14 of their 28 3-pointers, while Miami shot just 32% from deep and committed 15 turnovers after having just four in game 3.[49] Jokić and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for six steals and five blocks, while the entire Heat team finished with just two steals and three blocks. Jokić also became the first player in NBA history to put up at least 500 points, 250 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason run.[50]
Game 5
June 12
8:30 pm (6:30 pm MDT) |
Miami Heat 89, Denver Nuggets 94 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 24–22, 27–22, 20–26, 18–24 | ||
: Jimmy Butler 5 | Pts: Nikola Jokić 28 Rebs: Nikola Jokić 16 Asts: Jamal Murray 8 | |
Denver wins NBA Finals, 4–1 |
Denver, Colorado Attendance: 19,537 Referees:
|
In a closely contested Game 5, Jokić propelled the Nuggets to their first NBA championship in franchise history with a hard-fought 94–89 victory over the Heat. Jokic's dominant performance, including 28 points and 16 rebounds, earned him the
Prior to the game, Miami announced that Tyler Herro was listed as active for the first time since he broke his hand in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.[52] The Heat trailed by eight early in the first quarter, but a 31–13 run by Miami turned the deficit into a 10-point lead, their largest since Game 2.[53] Adebayo scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half to give the Heat their first halftime lead of the series.[54] The Nuggets, who entered the game with a series shooting average of 37.6% from three-point range, shot a historically poor 6.7% from three-point range in the first half.[51] Additionally, Denver committed 10 turnovers in the first half and missed 10 of their first 19 free throws.[51] Despite their shooting struggles, the Nuggets showed their resiliency, as they stormed back to take an 83–76 lead with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter.[54]
Butler, who made just two field goals in the first 43 minutes of the game, scored 13 consecutive points for Miami to give them a one-point lead with two minutes to go;[51] however, an offensive rebound and tip-in by Brown swung the momentum back in favor of the Nuggets. After a steal and two free throws from Pope, Butler missed a contested 3-pointer and Brown hit free throws in the final seconds to seal the win for Denver.[51] Murray contributed 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Porter Jr. recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets.[54] Butler finished with 21 points on 5 for 18 from the field for the Heat, and Adebayo recorded his fourth 20-point double-double of the series.[51] Although Herro was listed as available, coach Erik Spoelstra elected not to play him.[52] Miami's shooting woes ultimately proved costly, as they shot an inadequate 26% from three-point range and 34% from the field, their lowest percentage of the season.[51]
Denver became the second original ABA franchise, along with the San Antonio Spurs, to win an NBA championship.[51] It was the Nuggets' first league championship after 56 combined years in the ABA and NBA.[55] Denver is also the first Western Conference team from outside the states of California or Texas to win the championship since the 1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics.[56] Meanwhile, the Heat were one of two South Florida teams to lose the championship series in a "Big Four" sports league in a matter of a few days, as the NHL's Florida Panthers were defeated in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals a day later, also by a series score of 4 games to 1.[57] This was also the final game of Haslem's NBA career, as he retired the following month.[58]
Rosters
2022–23 Miami Heat roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Player statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game
|
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bam Adebayo | 5 | 5 | 41.8 | .455 | .000 | .905 | 12.4 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 21.8 |
Jimmy Butler | 5 | 5 | 41.0 | .413 | .368 | .806 | 4.6 | 6.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 21.6 |
Gabe Vincent | 5 | 5 | 28.4 | .382 | .333 | .833 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 11.4 |
Max Strus | 5 | 5 | 25.0 | .233 | .188 | .750 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 5.8 |
Kevin Love | 4 | 4 | 17.8 | .375 | .400 | 1.000 | 4.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 6.8 |
Caleb Martin | 5 | 1 | 28.4 | .375 | .333 | 1.000 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 7.4 |
Kyle Lowry | 5 | 0 | 29.2 | .425 | .423 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 10.8 |
Duncan Robinson
|
5 | 0 | 18.8 | .500 | .429 | .000 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 7.8 |
Haywood Highsmith | 5 | 0 | 7.0 | .700 | .500 | 1.000 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.6 |
Cody Zeller | 5 | 0 | 5.4 | .500 | — | — | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
Nikola Jović | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | — | — | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Ömer Yurtseven | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | — | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Udonis Haslem | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | .000 | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nikola Jokić | 5 | 5 | 41.2 | .583 | .421 | .838 | 14.0 | 7.2 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 30.2 |
Jamal Murray | 5 | 5 | 42.2 | .451 | .387 | .929 | 6.2 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 21.4 |
Aaron Gordon | 5 | 5 | 35.6 | .604 | .556 | .467 | 7.4 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 14.0 |
Michael Porter Jr. | 5 | 5 | 29.4 | .328 | .143 | .750 | 8.4 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 9.6 |
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 5 | 5 | 34.2 | .355 | .263 | .769 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 7.4 |
Bruce Brown | 5 | 0 | 26.8 | .457 | .368 | .727 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 11.4 |
Christian Braun | 5 | 0 | 16.4 | .706 | .000 | .556 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 5.8 |
Jeff Green | 5 | 0 | 13.0 | .889 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 4.8 |
DeAndre Jordan | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
Reggie Jackson | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Thomas Bryant | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Vlatko Čančar | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Zeke Nnaji | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Peyton Watson | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
- Bold: team high
- Source:[59]
Media coverage
The Finals were televised in the United States by ABC (including Denver's KMGH-TV and Miami's WPLG) for the 21st consecutive year.[32][60] Game 1 received an alternate presentation anchored by Stephen A. Smith on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+ as NBA in Stephen A's World.[61]
Same as before, the series was called by Mike Breen on play-by-play with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy as analysts, and Lisa Salters as the sideline reporter.[62] This marked the record 15th and final NBA Finals called by the trio of Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson, and the 14th full series overall.[a] Van Gundy also set the record for calling his 17th NBA Finals as an analyst, however he was one of several personnel laid off by ESPN on June 30, 2023.[63] On July 31, Jackson was also laid off by ESPN, and on August 14, the network promoted Doris Burke and Doc Rivers to the lead broadcast team.[64]
Viewership
Game | Ratings (American households) |
American audience (in millions) |
Ref |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 6.0 | 11.58 | [65] |
2 | 6.0 | 11.91 | [66] |
3 | 6.0 | 11.24 | [67] |
4 | 5.4 | 10.41 | [68] |
5 | 7.0 | 13.08 | [69] |
Avg | 6.1 | 11.64 |
Aftermath
Following the Nuggets win, a parade from Union Station to Civic Center Park in Denver was scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 15, with a pre-parade rally an hour before the parade. The parade was planned to emulate the celebration which followed the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals victory by the Colorado Avalanche.[70]
During the celebrations in downtown Denver immediately following the Nuggets championship win, there were two shootings that resulted in at least eleven people being shot, including one suspect. On the 2000 block of Market Street, the Denver Police Department said nine victims were identified as injured, with an injured suspect located nearby, all with gunshot wounds. Another shooting was reported on 17th Street and Blake Street, with Denver police reporting one victim self-transported to a hospital.[71] Three of those shot were reported as in critical condition as of the morning of June 13, with the remainder not sustaining life-threatening injuries.[72] The celebrations in downtown Denver had been described as "raucous", with fireworks detonating and men climbing streetlights near Coors Field and many fans cheering in McGregor Square.[73]
During the parade on June 15, a Denver police officer was struck in the lower leg by a fire truck which was transporting multiple Nuggets players, including Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.[74][75] Jokić's wife, Natalija, was hit in the face with a beer can while riding on the fire truck during the parade.[76]
Notes
- Covid-19.
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External links
- 2023 NBA Finals official website
- 2023 NBA Finals at Basketball-Reference.com