The NBA Playoffs are one of the most exciting periods in sports. A long gruelling season reaches an exciting end with the top sixteen teams battling it out over two months to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. This year’s playoffs have resulted with an unlikely final’s matchup. The very talented Denver Nuggets, and the team whose culture will never be questioned, the Miami Heat.
I’ll be honest, I don’t now as much about these teams as I did the Warriors and Celtics from last year’s finals, but I’ve learnt as much as I can over the last few months to put myself in a position to write amateur blog posts that resemble someone who knows what they are talking about. Following that bold claim, let’s talk about the teams and what I expect.
The Nuggets are coming off of a long nine day rest, which could be a fantastic way to regain strength and energy, or it could be a recipe for rust. Either way, it won’t take long for them to shake it off if it is the latter, and they have the talent needed to dominate this series if their two stars perform. Both Jokic and Murray have the ability to score 40-50 points a game, and with their role players around them, they could put up 130+ points every single game. Their defence is not what they are known for, but they locked down many people’s championship favourites Los Angeles Lakers, so they can do it when they need to. It comes down to whether their stars can perform on the biggest of stages.
The Miami Heat scraped into the playoffs to reach the eighth seed after losing to the Hawks but then beating the Bulls in the play-in. They have ridden off the back of that success through each round of the playoffs and have now risen to a level where they are seen as a genuine contender in these finals. It’s still the case that they are the underdogs, and realistically maybe only 25% of people are going to be picking them, but they aren’t being written off in the same way. Led by Jimmy Butler, they shot threes well in the last round, but they are known for their mid range and attacking the basket, and their hot streak from three is inevitably coming to an end soon.
Pick Time!
The big decision, who is winning and in how many games? My pick is the Denver Nuggets, and I am going for a conservative six games. They will average 125-130, and despite Jimmy Butlers best efforts, I think his motor will be running low as this series goes on, and his team will struggle to get over 115. I wouldn’t be surprised if this series was over in five, but I will still with Denver in six. Jokic will win Finals MVP.