---

The Series Itself

No. 1 Nuggets vs. No. 8 Heat (Nuggets won 4-1)

The series got off to a pretty slow start, as the Nuggets got out to a 21-point lead late in the third, effectively turning the fourth quarter into garbage time.

Jimmy Butler looked slow, and the rest of the team didn’t show up either.

The next game was a key one, which saw the Nuggets jump out to a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Butler and Gabe Vincent clutched up to cut the lead to six at the half.

Nikola Jokic had an all-time great third quarter, but the Heat rallied and escaped Denver with a critical win. Game three started close, but slowly turned to another blowout.

Even Udonis Haslem played here, becoming the oldest player to ever play in a Finals game, two days before turning 43. He even attempted a field goal but missed. Game four was an odd one.

Butler had his best performance in the series, while Jokic and Murray simultaneously had their worst, yet the Nuggets still won comfortably.

This game showed the difference between the two sides’ other contributors, as Bruce Brown and Aaron Gordon dominated while Max Strus and Gabe Vincent struggled mightily.

Strus and Vincent combined to go 1-10 from the floor for just two points, while Brown dropped 21 points while shooting 73% from the field and 60% from deep.

Gordon scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists on elite shooting splits.

In the decisive Game Five, the Heat played well as a team, but Butler failed miserably, going 5-18 from the floor. Butler had a back-breaking turnover late in the game, guaranteeing the win for Denver.

When the final buzzer sounded, all the hard work of this Denver Nuggets squad was rewarded with the Larry O’Brien trophy, giving the Nuggets their first-ever championship.

While Denver is still a football city, hardcore NBA fans can appreciate the greatness of this squad and their masterfully executed rebuild.

They used to be stuck in “No Man’s Land” after the Melo era, with some solid players like Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler.

Players that were good enough to win regular season games, but not great enough to win anything meaningful in the postseason.

Their rebuild has given teams a blueprint to follow for many years to come, similar to the Warriors and Spurs before them.

---

What Does This Mean For…

The Denver Nuggets

Going from hunter to hunted is not easy. Injuries are bound to happen according to history, this season’s Warriors struggled all year with injuries, and so did the ’22 Bucks, who lost Khris Middleton to a season-ending injury.

The 2021 Lakers infamously dealt with injuries to LeBron and Anthony Davis, which knocked them out of championship contention.

The wheels of the KD-era dynasty Warriors also fell off due to many injuries to their stars. Other than that, dealing with young teams is an even harder task.

Young teams looking to prove a point will be hungry to knock off the defending champions.

The Nuggets have to deal with the Thunder and Jazz in their division, who are both very young and talented teams who want to prove themselves.

The Blazers might also try to get more youthful if they decide to move on from Lillard.

As a Warriors fan who had to watch four different defending champions, young teams scared the Dubs the most, at least in the regular season.

A few losses here or there can make a huge difference in the standings, and shake things up in the playoffs.

The Nuggets must also pay Brown, who has a player option for this year. He had an incredible run this year, and even though he wants to stay, he’ll probably get massive offers from other teams.

Jeff Green was also a solid contributor, and the Nuggets need to either keep him or find a replacement.

If they can’t bring back Green, their replacement should also be a seasoned and respected veteran who is willing to mentor the young guns and can still provide the team with valuable minutes off the bench.

Finding a vet is easy. Finding a vet that can still play, not so much.

---

The Rest of the West

Io many Western teams want to contend next year, let’s start with the old teams.

The Lakers are looking to add the likes of Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green to their already great squad, while the Clippers still have, in my opinion, the best basketball player in the world and are getting desperate for a ring.

The Dubs want to extend their dynasty and get one last ring out of Stephen Curry, while the Suns are back to the drawing board after getting rid of Chris Paul.

All these teams have one future first-ballot Hall of Famer (LeBron/Kawhi/Steph/KD) who can put together dominant seasons if they can stay healthy.

The Mavs can either keep Kyrie and hope for the best, or trade him and build another exciting team around Luka Doncic similar to their 2022 squad.

The Kings, Pelicans, and Grizzlies are some very young teams who look destined for greatness, but they all have some doubts surrounding them.

Will the Kings continue their success and keep “Lighting the Beam?” Will Ja Morant ever learn from his mistakes? Will Zion Williamson play for the Pelicans again?

There has been some chatter about Zion going to Houston to team up with a returning James Harden according to Rafael Barlowe.

If the move goes through, the Rockets will become contenders overnight (assuming Zion can stay healthy). And then there are the young teams with serious question marks.

Is Chet Holmgren the answer in Oklahoma City? And will Victor Wembanyama follow in David Robinson and Tim Duncan’s footsteps as the next great Spurs big?

I once said that Pop should leave the Spurs unless he can get Wemby because he could turn them into a contender immediately. I’m really high on the kid, but will he prove me and a lot of other NBA analysts right?

The 2022-23 season was very exciting, but 2023-24 could be even better, and although Denver won the title pretty easily this year, defending the crown will be extremely difficult.

Enjoy the offseason, everyone.