Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nuggets winning their first ever NBA ring.
The Denver Nuggets won the 2022-23 NBA championship after beating the Miami Heat 4-1 in the Finals.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to a wild Game 5 (94-89) and to the Nuggets winning their first-ever ring.
“The star players are unselfish, and I feel like it’s a team that enjoys each other,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 109-94 on the road in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday evening to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Before the NBA Finals started last week, Broncos coach Sean Payton said he texted Nuggets coach Michael Malone to congratulate him and wish him well in the series.
As a new Denver resident, Payton’s been watching the Nuggets and it’s safe to say he’s been impressed.
“When I’ve watched them — we all get caught up and you get excited — but the star players are unselfish, and I feel like it’s a team that enjoys each other,” Payton said on June 1. “I’m going to guess that they probably do things together off the court and I don’t know that that’s the case with every team.
“Literally last week, I was just having a conversation with Mike Krzyzewski about something else, and then I asked the question, ‘How do you like to match up with the Heat?’ He mentioned culture with both teams. I think you see that with our team, and I think you see it from the Heat as well. It’s why they are the last two teams remaining. From a beginner’s perspective, when I watch them, you feel that and that’s impressive.”
Payton, quarterback Russell Wilson, safety Justin Simmons and retired QB Peyton Manning were among the Broncos in attendance for Denver’s two home games earlier in the series.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nuggets beating the Heat in Game 3.
The Denver Nuggets easily defeated the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals 109-94, with Nikola Jokic putting up a ridiculous 32-21-10 stat line. Jamal Murray also added a triple-double of his own with 34-10-10.
The Nuggets currently lead the series 2-1 and have regained homecourt advantage. Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to Game 3.
We’d love to see the Nuggets win the NBA Finals, but we’re also rooting for Jimmy Butler, a good friend of late Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas.
The Denver Nuggets fell to the Miami Heat 111-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Sunday evening. The series is now tied 1-1 going into Wednesday’s game in Miami.
While most Denver Broncos fans are also fans of the Nuggets, many Broncos fans are rooting for Heat small forward Jimmy Butler, a good friend of late Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.
Before the NBA Finals started, Brandon Krisztal of KOA Radio asked Butler about his friendship with Thomas and playing in the Finals against Denver.
“That’s my guy, my brother forever,” Butler said last week. “I miss him so much. I spent so much time here with him, watching him be great. He motivated me, because his story is really, really incredible through everything that he’s been through to make it and do what he did for the Broncos. I actually have a lot of love for this city. I miss that guy.
“I wish he was here to sit courtside and watch me do my thing, because we talked about this all the time. Maybe not Denver vs. my team, but just being able to watch me win a championship like he did.”
Butler scored 21 points while adding nine assists and four rebounds on Sunday.
While we’re rooting for the Nuggets to win the series, we’re also supporting Butler.
Peyton Manning, Sean Payton, Russell Wilson and Justin Simmons were in attendance to watch the Nuggets win Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was in attendance to watch the Denver Nuggets defeat the Miami Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Thursday evening.
After wrapping up the second week of organized team activities, Payton took some friends to the game to “convert” them to being Nuggets fans.
“I’ve got some college friends that are in town,” Payton said after the Broncos’ practice session on Thursday. “All of us played quarterback at Eastern Illinois and we get together once a year. I’m going to take them and convert them to Nuggets fans. It’s exciting for the city.
“When you think of this for a second — in two years, the Kroenkes have won a Super Bowl, have won a Stanley Cup and they’re in a position to win an NBA championship. I think that’s something that — it’s good to be a Kroenke for the last two years. That’s pretty impressive to have that type of success. I’m excited for the city to watch these guys. Yeah, we’ll have a chance to go.”
The Broncos have been all in on supporting the Nuggets.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nuggets beating the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The Denver Nuggets have beaten the Miami Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals.
Nikola Jokic led the way for Denver with yet another triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists, while Jimmy Butler had a somewhat quiet night with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the first game of the Finals.
Give the Nuggets a bit of credit here, folks.
Over the last few days since the Nuggets promptly did away with the Lakers after their 4-0 Western Conference finals sweep, there’s been lots of complaining from fans and NBA media folks alike. People have constantly been talking about how NBA Finals ratings will be down.
On top of that, instead of folks talking about the actual potential matchups ahead of us, most talk has been about LeBron James potentially retiring and what the Lakers could do next to improve their team.
And, look. I get it. It’s LeBron James. It’s the Lakers. Those are two enormous draws packed in tightly together. It’s easy money to talk about — that’s fine.
But then, as that conversation has died down a bit, we’ve had more and more people talk about how the Nuggets just aren’t all that interesting. Here’s Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix doing exactly that.
Not to take down Mannix in any way here — he’s a journalist who is good at his job. That’s why he’s been around for as long as he has. But he’s wrong here. There’s really no way around it.
Not only are the Nuggets a compelling team, but they’re incredibly fun and watchable. Just to prove it, here are 10 storylines surrounding the Denver Nuggets heading into the NBA Finals that we should all be paying attention to.
[affiliatewidget_deal1]
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Nuggets sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
The Denver Nuggets have swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals, after beating them 113-111 in Game 4.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers not even winning one game against Denver.
Nikola Jokic isn’t asking for respect anymore — he’s just taking it.
Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon
Howdy, folks. Welcome back to Layup Lines. It’s Sykes here to usher you into another weekend of playoff basketball. Let’s talk about Nikola Jokic.
So much of the conversation about Jokic has been about his warts as a player, which feels extremely odd to say about someone who was a back-to-back MVP in the league and could’ve won a third consecutive trophy this year.
But it’s true. As soon he won that MVP, talking heads began making the case about why he shouldn’t have. His team wasn’t good enough. He didn’t play enough defense. He hasn’t ever unequivocally been the best player on the best team in the league. All of those arguments were fine and mostly fair.
Then this season came around. Jokic was the best player on the best team in the Western Conference by far. He checked all the boxes folks wanted him to check, but he also couldn’t win another MVP after winning two straight. Why? Because history said so.
Folks also talked — again — about how bad he was defensively and how no one takes the Nuggets seriously as a title contender because of that. While Jokic was the fulcrum that made Denver go, people seemed to make the case that he was also the very thing holding them back on the defensive end of the floor.
And, yet, here we are. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets are the first team to make it to the NBA’s conference finals this season and it’s largely because of how spectacular Jokic has been.
The man essentially averaged a 35-point triple-double against the Suns in the conference semifinals. He joined LeBron James as the only players in the last 50 seasons to score at least 200 points, 70 rebounds and 60 assists in a single series. He’s also the third player to ever average a 30-point triple-double through an entire series.
The control Jokic has on the game right now is unmatched in the NBA. Say what you want about his play on the defensive end — where he’s been surprisingly good this postseason — the dude has proven to be unstoppable on offense. There’s no other player who can say that in these playoffs.
Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid exist. Kevin Durant is still great and Steph Curry is still a flamethrower. LeBron James is still one of the best players we’ve ever seen touch a basketball.
But right now, Nikola Jokic is the best player in the league. He’s answered every question we’ve had. All that’s left to do is to sit back and watch the show to see where it takes us.
I have a feeling it’ll be straight to the NBA Finals.
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
With the NBA lottery coming on Tuesday, the mock drafts are flying in from everywhere. Of course, the homie Bryan Kalbrosky has you covered with his excellent mocks.
Our guy Charles Curtis has you covered with what the rest of the internet things, too, with his consensus mock. He’s taking information from mock drafts around the internet in spaces like The Athletic, ESPN, Bleacher Report and more to show you exactly how the basketball-loving internet thinks the draft will play out.
The verdict: Victor Wembanyama is definitely going No. 1. But you already knew that.
It’s Vic SZN, y’all. Prepare yourselves accordingly.
(All odds via Tipico.)
Warriors (+135) @ Lakers (-3.5, -155), O/U 219.5, 10 PM ET
This doesn’t really feel like a tough one to pick considering that the Warriors are 11-30 on the road this season and Andrew Wiggins is also questionable with a rib contusion heading into tonight’s action.
But it’s Steph Cury. The Warriors are defending champions. And they’re not going down without a fight — especially not in Game 6. Klay Thompson is going to get up a ton of shots tonight, which could be either good or bad if you’re Golden State. We’ll see how it plays out.
But, for me? I’d take the Warriors +3.5. It’ll be a close one.
— A big Game 7 from James Harden could be a big payday for all you bettors out there.
— The 15 best players in the NBA who haven’t won a title yet. Some pretty incredible names on that list.
— Mark Jones has BARS, y’all. For days.
— This dude really snuck into the Lakers arena as Austin Reaves. This is unreal.
Enjoy the weekend, folks!
[affiliatewidget_deal5]
Broncos coach Sean Payton, QB Russell Wilson and WR Tim Patrick were courtside for the Nuggets’ win over the Suns last night.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 118-102 to take a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs at Ball Arena on Tuesday night.
At least five Denver Broncos players were in attendance for the game, and two of them were courtside with new coach Sean Payton.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Tim Patrick sat next to coach Sean Payton and his wife, Skylene Montgomery. It was apparently a “total coincidence” that they ended up with seats right next to each other.
Denver linebacker Alex Singleton, kicker Brandon McManus and punter Riley Dixon were also at the game, according to KOA Radio’s Brandon Krisztal. Courtland Sutton, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson and Caden Sterns have also been spotted at games earlier in the series.
Nikola Jokic had a triple-double in Tuesday’s win with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. The Nuggets are now one win away from reaching the conference finals.
