On Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets will try to bounce back in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, with the series shifting to South Florida.
With the series now even at one game apiece, both teams will be looking for some added motivation to take control of this seven-game series, with former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant being an excellent place to start.
On this date 14 years ago, Bryant had one of his most memorable postgame press conferences in the Finals, with the eventual five-time NBA champion not being content with his team being 2-0 up against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.
Bryant famously said, “job’s not finished,” even though the Lakers had imposed their will on the Magic and were seemingly destined to win the superstar’s fourth title.
"What's there to be happy about? Job's not finished."
14 years ago today, Kobe delivered his famous NBA Finals quote. pic.twitter.com/dJbXbtM22K
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 7, 2023
Ironically enough, the Lakers lost Game 3 of the series to the Magic, which made Bryant’s comments resonate a bit more, but the Lakers still went on to wipe the floor with Orlando in five games.
Although the Nuggets seem far and away the better all-around team in the Finals right now, the Heat are not a team to be overlooked, and using this mentality or the “Mamba Mentality” moving forward would be wise for Nikola Jokic and company.
If Miami comes out on top in Game 3, the Nuggets will be in trouble, as they’ll have one more game on the road before heading back home to play Game 5 at Ball Arena, and then they’ll be right back in Miami for Game 6.
Tonight’s game is potentially the most crucial game of the series, with the winner possibly going on to win it all.
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