NBA Finals 2023 primer: Everything to know about the Denver Nuggets

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Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

The Denver Nuggets will make the first NBA Finals appearance in their 46-year franchise history when the series tips off Thursday night against Miami.

Here are the five things you need to know about the Western Conference champions as they make a bid for their first Larry O’Brien Trophy.

1. Yes, the Nuggets are that good

Even though they finished with the best record in the Western Conference (53-29), many around the league still thought the conference was wide open entering the postseason.

Apparently, that was a big mistake.

This postseason, the Nuggets turned heads when they beat the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals in six games, even though the Suns were global favorites to win the series. Then, the Nuggets made an even bigger statement in the conference finals, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James literally tipped his cap to Nikola Jokic after Game 4, saying the Nuggets were one of the best, if not the best team that he and Anthony Davis have faced since they teamed up in L.A. in 2019.

“Just well-orchestrated, well put together,” James said. “They have scoring. They have shooting. They have playmaking. They have smarts. They have length. They have depth.

” … When you have a guy like Jokic, who [is] as big as he is, but also as cerebral as he is, you can’t really make many mistakes versus a guy like that,” he added. “And even when you guard him for one of the best possessions that you think you can guard him, he puts the ball behind his head Larry Bird-style, and shoots it 50 feet in the air, and it goes in, like he did four or five times this series.”

Throughout the playoffs, Jokic (the unanimous Western Conference finals MVP) and Jamal Murray have played like superstars. The team’s role players have excelled, with strong performances from Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown. And the Nuggets have had the best offensive rating (119.7), net rating (8.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (2.27) and player impact estimate (54.5) of all the 16 teams this postseason.

As Nuggets coach Michael Malone has repeatedly pointed out, it’s time to stop underestimating the Nuggets.

Have Denver Nuggets received enough credit for their season of dominance?

2. Jokic can finally silence the haters

Jokic was a frontrunner to win his third straight MVP award this season, but the naysayers leaned into the same criticism.

Simply put, how could Jokic join an extremely elite crowd of just three players who have three-peated for the award (Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell) when he had never even reached the championship round, nevertheless won a title?

The award ended up going to Philadelphia 76ers’ star Joel Embiid, but for months and months, Jokic was torn down because he had never advanced past the conference finals. He was even accused of being a stat-padder. Critics wondered if he had what it takes to lead a team all the way.

Now, Jokic could win his first ring and emphatically end that conversation.

As for the stat-padding narrative, Malone got the final word on that after Game 4, after Jokic had his eighth triple-double of the postseason, surpassing Chamberlain’s record of seven, a record that stood for 56 years.

“I think Nikola has gone through three rounds now where he’s averaging a triple-double in the playoffs,” Malone said of Jokic, who is averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists this postseason.

“Have you seen any stat-padding out there? I’m serious, enough of the silliness. The guy is a great player. Give him his damn respect. Stop chopping him down at the knees. He’s a great player, and give him the respect he deserves.”

Does Nick owe Jokić & Nuggets an apology after sweeping Lakers?

3. Jokic’s growth has been stunning

For those who aren’t aware, here’s a quick rundown of how Jokic arrived at this moment: He was selected by the Nuggets with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft. When his name was called, a Taco Bell commercial was airing. No one expected him to become one of the best players in the NBA, not even Malone.

“I always think about this and laugh because that first Summer League in Vegas: 300 pounds, out of shape,” Malone said. “He’s a nice player. No one — and if anybody tells you different, they’re full of s— — no one ever could have seen that he’d be a two-time MVP, passing Wilt Chamberlain it seems like every other night.”

Jokic devoted himself to transforming his body. He lost weight. He gained muscle. He developed stamina. Malone recently said Jokic’s “work ethic is off the charts,” adding that he’s constantly practicing and hitting the weight room.

The funny thing is that even to this day, Jokic’s conditioning is often questioned because he doesn’t jump the highest or rely on lightning speed. But anyone who has studied him knows that he’s one of the best athletes in the world.

Perhaps no one said that better than Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who recently revealed a discussion he had with his staff before Game 1.

“I think he’s one of the most highly-conditioned players of his caliber in our league,” Ham said.

Was Nikola Jokic viewed as underrated in NBA MVP voters eyes?

4. Murray might be better now than he was in the bubble

After Murray suffered a torn ACL in April 2021, he feared he was damaged goods.

“His first thought was, ‘Man, are you guys going to trade me?'” Malone recalled. ” … I hugged him. I said, ‘Hell no, you’re ours. We love you. We’re going to help you get back. And you’re going to be a better player for it.'”

Back in 2020, Murray made a name for himself in the bubble, when he helped the Nuggets come back from back-to-back 3-1 series deficits against the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers to reach the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, where they lost in five games. Over that period, Murray averaged 26.5 points.

But after shining on that stage, Murray sustained the ACL injury which sidelined him for all of last season and his team’s playoff runs in 2021 and 2022.

Many wondered whether Murray would ever reach that level again.

But Murray might be even better this postseason. He has averaged 27.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds. In Game 2 against the Lakers, he had 23 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth 20-point, fourth-quarter, postseason performance of his career, the most of any player over the last 25 years. Then, in Game 3, he had 30 of his 37 points in the first half to set the tone for the Nuggets.

For Murray, this has all been a dream come true.

“I’ve always had the belief in myself,” Murray recently told FOX Sports. “It was just about proving to others that I could still do this and play to this level and be more than what I’m doing. I’ve always had the belief. And my team has always had the belief in me. And they’ve supported me throughout my journey. So, I’m glad it’s finally showing on a big stage.”

5. A shining example of continuity

While so many teams are quick to remake their rosters or make drastic changes, the Nuggets have taken a very different route.

Malone is one of just four coaches in the NBA who has spent at least the last eight years with his team. The other three are San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, his rival in the NBA Finals.

And the Nuggets have shown the same commitment to their core.

They drafted Jokic, Murray (No. 7 in 2016) and Porter Jr. (No. 14 in 2018), and have kept them together.

It’s paying off.

It’s obvious that this group of players knows each other, trusts each other and likes each other.

Now, they’ll try to make history together.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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