Heat star Jimmy Butler (L) and Nuggets star (R) Credit: Getty Images
This NBA Finals is a tale of two different paths as the Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets. Starting with the Heat, their journey began in the Play-In Tournament when they dropped their first game to the Atlanta Hawks.
Jimmy Butler and Miami won their second play-in game versus the Chicago Bulls and made their way into the postseason.
Miami would defeat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals to make it here. As for the Nuggets, they entered the playoffs as the best team in the Western Conference, proving it early on. Nikola Jokic and Denver would take care of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round One.
The Nuggets faced Kevin Durant and the Pheonix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, winning the series in six games. Their opponents in the Western Conference finals were LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. While the matchup looked great on paper, Denver swept the Lakers en route to the NBA Finals.
History made in these NBA Finals between both teams
First, the Heat became just the second team in NBA history to make the Finals as an eighth seed. The New York Knicks were the first as they reached the NBA Finals in the 1998 – 1999 season. In the almost 60-year history of the Nuggets franchise, they never made an NBA Finals appearance.
Denver lost in their four previous attempts to make it to the Finals before this season.
A Battle Between Two Superstars Will Be on Display
Without question, this series will feature two superstars who have made their presence known in these playoffs. Butler has arguably been the driving force behind the Miami Heat’s improbable run. The Eastern Conference MVP is averaging 28.5 points, seven rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
He ranks third in Heat playoffs history in points with 1,475. Only Dwayne Wade (3,864) and LeBron (2,338) have more.
On the other side, there’s two-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who’s arguably been the top player in these playoffs. He is averaging a triple-double with 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game.
Jokić’s 14 career playoff triple-doubles are third-most in league history to Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson (30) and LeBron (28).
Needless to say, whichever superstar has the better series could be taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
