The 2023 NBA playoffs are winding down, and two teams are ready to win an NBA championship. The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets have earned the right to compete in the 2023 NBA Finals. The Heat are the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Nuggets earned the top seed in the Western Conference.ย
“This is a special group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters on Wednesday. “This group has been able to overcome a lot of different things, handle a lot of adversity, setbacks, things that have not gone the way we wanted it to go. Instead of having that collapse our spirit, it allowed us to develop some fortitude and grit collectively and give us something to rally around, which was each other. Those are special qualities. I mentioned the other night, it’s a reflection of life to be able to develop those kind of things that can get you through the tough times, and then when you overcome it, just makes things a lot more gratifying.”
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“This is the NBA Finals,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Doesn’t get any bigger than this. So we got our work in upstairs in the friendly confines of our practice court and behind closed doors. Then we come downstairs and do our part, make ourselves available.” Here’s everything to know about the 2023 NBA Finals.
How to Watch
โข Game 1: Heat vs. Nuggets | Thurs., June 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
โข Game 2: Heat vs. Nuggets | Sun., June 4 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
โข Game 3: Nuggets vs. Heat | Wed., June 7 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
โข Game 4: Nuggets vs. Heat | Fri., June 9 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
โข Game 5: Heat vs. Nuggets | Mon., June 12 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) *
โข Game 6: Nuggets vs. Heat | Thurs., June 15 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) *
โข Game 7: Heat vs. Nuggets | Sun., June 18 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC) *
ย ย * ifย necessary
How the Heat Got Here
The Heat just did enough to qualify for the play-in tournament as they finished the regular season as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first play-in game but defeated the Chicago Bulls in the second game to earn the No. 8 seed.
The Heat then took down No. 1-seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. They defeated the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Seminals before getting past the No. 2-seed Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.ย
How the Nuggets Got Here
The Nuggets did not have to worry about a play-in game as they were the No. 1 seed in the West. They downed the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. They followed up the series win with a victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals and then swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.ย
Heat Player to Watch: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler made the All-NBA Second Team this year after finishing the season averaging 22.9 points 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest. And during the Eastern Conference Finals, Butler was named MVP after averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.ย
Nuggets Player to Watch: Nikola Jokiฤ
One could argue that Jokiฤ is the best player in the NBA. He won the NBA MVP award in 2021 and 2022 and was named Western Conference MVP after averaging 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game against the Lakers. Not bad for a player that was picked by the Nuggets in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.ย
Heat Title History
The Heat are no strangers to winning championships as they have claimed the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2006, 2012 and 2013. The last time the Heat reached the NBA Finals was in 2020 when they lost to the Lakers.ย
Nuggets Title History
The Nuggets are playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since the team was founded in 1967. They haveย reached the Western Conference a few times, including in 2020, the same year the Heat reached the NBA Finals before this year.ย
