The Denver Nuggets Have Won Their First Championship!

Written By: Dylan Grodner, of Swish Tribune 

The Denver Nuggets Have Won Their First NBA Finals! What an achievement for this group of guys. 

After earning the one seed to start the postseason, many considered the Nuggets as title contenders, but never were they mentioned as the favorites. Teams like the Lakers and Suns (who they both destroyed in the playoffs) were argued to have more star power and much better odds at winning it all. The Nuggets, however, had something to say about this. 

In their first series, the Nuggets played the Timberwolves, winning easily in 5 games. This was no shock to many fans as the Nuggets entered this series as the heavy favorite. However, even after winning this series, the Nuggets moved on to play the Phoenix Suns, where they were a huge underdog. 

The Suns were heavy favorites, not only to win this series, but to win the entire playoffs all together. After obtaining Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, the Suns looked unstoppable with a three-headed monster in Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant. This three-headed monster, however, didn't know what they would later run into. A Joker. In the 6 games it took for the Nuggets to win against the Suns, Jokic averaged 34.5 PPG, 13 RPG, and 10 APG. 

After moving onto the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets were still looked at as the underdog as they were facing off against the Lakers with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In this series they not only swept the Lakers, but they had another superstar step up in Jamal Murray. Murray averaged 32.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 5.3 APG. This became the turning point of the Nuggets. The point at which they were looked at as the favorite. Not just the favorite for the 2022-2023 season, but for years to come. 

In the NBA Finals, the Nuggets crushes the hopes and dreams of the Miami Heat and their fanbase. After the Heat's historic playoff run, the Nuggets would not let it continue. In 5 games against the Heat, Jokic averaged 30 PPG, 14 RPG, and 7 APG. In addition, the Nuggets were able to cool off playoff Jimmy, keeping the Heat from scoring over 100 just once in five games. 

The Nuggets have finally came together, looking to build the next NBA Dynasty for years to come. With an average team age of only 27.5, this is definitely a possibility as long as this core stays together. With the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, a potential superstar in Jamal Murray, a human highlight in Aaron Gordan, an elite shooter in Michael Porter Jr, and a defensive stud in Bruce Brown, this team really is scary for years to come. 

Overall, the Nuggets earned this. They didn't have to make any blockbuster moves in order to make this happen. They found a gem in Nikola Jokic as he was covered by a Taco Bell commercial when drafted. He is now the best player in the world. They held onto Jamal Murray even after tearing his ACL. He is now an NBA Champion. They took a chance on an injury prone player in Michael Porter Jr coming into the 2017 NBA draft. He is now regarded as one of the best up and coming young players in the league. This team earned it, not bought it. 

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