After making easy work of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Denver Nuggets had to wait for quite some time to see who they’d be facing in the NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics taking the Miami Heat the distance in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Once the Finals were set with the Heat advancing, the Nuggets were thought to be a little bit rusty in Game 1 after spending so much time watching and waiting for the seven-game series to begin.
Fortunately for Denver, Nikola Jokic and company showed no signs of rust in Game 1, as they wiped the floor with the Heat in their first of two consecutive games in the Mile High City to start the Finals.
In fact, the Nuggets were as efficient as ever in Game 1 after nine days of rest and were the first team to do the following with such a long period of rest between playoff series, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Nuggets showed few signs of rust in Game 1:
– Won by 10+ points
– Shot 50% or better from floor
– 2 players scored 25+ pointsThey're the 1st team to do all of this on 9 days rest between series. pic.twitter.com/L37jGETut4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2023
Those are some impressive statistics, and they show just how good this team can be, no matter the opponent or the circumstance in a playoff series.
Although this might be a bit premature, this Nuggets squad may be the next dominant force in the NBA that we’ve seen since the peak of the Golden State Warriors dynasty.
Jokic has already proven to be one of the greatest players in NBA history and only seems to get better with every passing game, and it seems as though he’s finally got the pieces around him to make this team a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.
NEXT: Nikola Jokic Made History Easily In Game 1
