After the Denver Nuggets won the first game 104-93, Miami dug deep to win the second game. They came back from behind in the fourth quarter and turned their two-digit deficit into a two-digit lead. The score of the fourth quarter was 25-36 in favor of the Heats. Overall, the Heat played well as three players scored twenty-plus points. Jimmy scored twenty-one points, four rebounds and nine assists after a bad first game. Adebayo continued his performance in the last game as he was again great, scoring twenty-one points nine rebounds and four assists. Gabe Vincent also had a great game as he scored twenty-three points. In Game 2 Miami did what they have been doing the whole postseason, they made a comeback in the final quarter.
History and Jokic
Although Miami Heat won the game Denver’s Nikola Jokic was the one to make history in the game 2. He became the first center in the history of the sport to have at least five hundred points and one hundred assists in a single post-season. He scored forty-one points in the game but unfortunately still was on the losing side. Jokic achieved this milestone at the end of the third quarter when Denver was leading quite comfortably. He also broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record in the previous series against the Lakers in the fourth game, Jokic scored the eighth triple-double of the postseason overcoming Wilt’s record. Jokic will be the Nugget’s main man throughout the remainder of the games and if he performs, the title is almost guaranteed. The Nuggets were leading almost throughout the game, and Jokic was dominating the Heat, but when Heat is up against them, they roared back like a lion. Butler’s determination to win is like none other. His teammates also helped him as he did not carry them single-handedly in this game. That role was played by Jokic in this game.
Jokic vs Butler
The win was huge as it was in the home court of the Nuggets, so that means if the Heat win their three home games, they will become the first-ever eighth-seeded team to win the NBA title. It was always going to be Jokic versus Butler in the finals, and that is exactly how it is turning out to be. Both will need to perform at the highest level to succeed in this final. Whoever performs better their team will win.
With the series tied at 1-1, fans are looking excited about the next game, especially because the next game will be in Miami so it will be an advantage for them to take the lead in the series. Miami will be looking confident going into the game, but Denver will be aiming for a comeback against this never-give-up Miami team
Conclusion
The Nuggets went on to beat the Heat 4 games to 1 while securing their first ever championship. Sportsbook review websites currently have the Nuggets as overall favorites to repeat as champions in 2024. They Nuggets are returning their core talent and that is a great thing. The NBA is very competetive now and does not revolve around the one or two “super teams” as it has in years passed. Most importantly, Nikola Jokic is locked in for years to come.
Nikola Jokic’s development into the player he is now was not predicted by anyone.
During the 2014 NBA Draft, 40 players in all had their names called before the Nuggets star. Jokic is still establishing himself as one of the best players to ever don an NBA uniform even ten years later.
In the 2022–23 season, Jokic was selected for his fifth All-Star and fifth All-NBA teams in his career. Although he lost out on the MVP award to Joel Embiid, he had already won it twice. Additionally, he is currently just two victories away from winning his first NBA championship.
You won’t be surprised to learn that Jokic earns a respectable salary given all of his achievements.
Specifics of Nikola Jokic’s contract
Jokic and the Nuggets agreed to a five-year, $264 million deal in 2022. The contract is the biggest in NBA history.
The last year of Jokic’s prior contract is the 2022–23 campaign. Beginning with the 2023–24 season, his agreement will keep him with the Nuggets through the 2027–28 campaign.
Jokic will rank behind only Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the third-highest player in the NBA in 2023–24.
The passing of the torch from Lebron to Jokic (it is safe to say) happened this year during the playoffs when the Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
