
7 seed in the East, and had to earn their playoff spot in the play-in tournament. The Heat finished the regular season as the No. The Miami Heat break into the NBA Finals with one of the most unlikely runs to the championship series in the history of the sport. Jamal Murray is the Nuggets’ next best creator, and he’s coming off a conference finals series where he averaged 32.5 points per game while exceeding the prestigious 50/40/90 line for shooting splits on field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage. The Nuggets have surrounded their supersized playmaking wizard with a team of shooters and tough defenders. Jokic is averaging an incredible 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists per game in the playoffs while shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range. While Jokic failed in his bid for a third straight NBA MVP this season, he’s proved he’s the best player in the world during this postseason run. Denver is 12-3 since the playoffs began, knocking out the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, advancing past the Phoenix Suns in six games, and then sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. Clearly, the Nuggets were just taking it easy before it was time to get serious in the postseason. 500 after the All-Star break to sow some doubt about their chances. 1 seed in the Western Conference during the regular season, but they only finished a game over. This isn’t the matchup anyone expected as the final battle for the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, but it should be a fascinating showdown arguably featuring the NBA’s best player, best coach, and its most clutch playoff performer.

The Miami Heat are going to the NBA Finals for the seventh time since 2006.

The Denver Nuggets are in the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
