“It was a great effort by the team,” said Jokic after the game. “There are so many factors. I am just happy. It feels good. The job is done, we can go home now.” The Serb was the best shooter of the game with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
The Nuggets quickly turned a 0-5 early in the game into a 12-5, but then lost the thread and were seven points behind at the break at 44-51. Only towards the end of the third quarter did the hosts regain the lead. In the final quarter, the game was wild for minutes, in the meantime the two teams missed a total of ten shots in a row and their game lacked any structure.
As Miami had chances for a second win in the closing minutes, a misguided pass from Jimmy Butler with 28 seconds left gave Denver the lead and a three-point lead.
Jokic honored as NBA Most Valuable Player
Jokic was named Finals MVP after his Denver Nuggets won the title. With an average of 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists, the 28-year-old topped the five games, as he did throughout the playoffs. No one has had more points, assists or rebounds since the end of the main round than the Nuggets center.
“We believed in each other. Yes, trophies are something. But our team chemistry will survive here when we finish our careers,” said Jokic. His trainer Michael Malone has already announced further title wins: “We are not satisfied with one. We want more,” he called out to the fans.
Denver convinces in the playoffs
Denver had finished the main round at the top of the Western Conference and prevailed in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. Miami Heat only made it into the playoffs in eighth place – and then knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics as underdogs. There were no comebacks like in the previous rounds for Miami in the final against Denver.
As a result, Miami lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and before that to the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 again in the NBA finals and has to wait ten years after the last championship so far for the fourth success.